As the number of bacteria resistant to antibiotics continues to climb, more must be done to further prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance. Considering that the medical, pharmaceutical, and agricultural industries rely on antibiotics to treat bacterial infections, an increase in antibiotic resistance hampers our ability to prevent the spread of pathogenic bacteria and treat infections before they become life-threatening. In the United States alone, an estimated 2.8 million infections and 35,000 deaths occur annually because of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Often, society only looks for a solution once a problem becomes widespread. In contrast, our project hopes to act proactively in aiding the development of alternative treatments to prevent the inevitable crisis that widespread antibiotic resistance would cause. We want to provide a method of detecting and eliminating antibiotic-resistant bacteria before they become global and deadly. An application of our project is to create a spray targeting antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can serve as an easily accessible preventative measure. We kept the ideas of accessibility and affordability at the forefront of our research. This project aims to revert the dangerous antibiotic resistances brought on by humans.
Our Modular Infectious Disease Annihilation System (MIDAS) is designed to prevent the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. By implementing the practices of genetic engineering, our MIDAS system can detect and destroy bacteria that display antibiotic-resistant genes. With the ability to eliminate ampicillin-resistant bacteria, individuals would face fewer complications from infections, leading to quicker recoveries and less reliance on antibiotics. The real-life implementation of our project would be a spray containing our MIDAS system that would target and kill bacteria displaying the ampicillin-resistant gene. This spray could be used on animal feed for livestock, as a topical spray on an open wound, or many other applications for other medicinal uses.
Our MIDAS system is different from the other solutions to antibiotic resistance that are currently being implemented. These other solutions include combining different antibiotics to make it harder for bacteria to become resistant and finding alternatives to antibiotics, such as bacteriophages, vaccines, and botanicals. Our approach does not look to change how we use antibiotics; instead, it aims to target and destroy the already existing resistant bacteria. We are not looking for an alternative to antibiotics but instead want to make antibiotics safer and more effective by targeting this resistance.
Our team has placed a strong emphasis on safety throughout the development of our project. We are aware that the technology utilized in our project could pose a risk to other bacteria that positively influence humans and animals if they display antibiotic resistance, including enterobacteria. Due to this, we took care in handling our part and ensuring its in vitro safety to prevent cross contamination and release into the environment. Preventing the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a current problem that will only continue to grow. Instead of being reactive like so many before, we aim to be proactive and reduce this problem for us and future generations.