New study proves biological treatment can be a suitable alternative to antibiotics.

In a groundbreaking new study led by Dr. Natalia Freund and doctoral candidate Avia Watson at the TAU Sackler Faculty of Medicine, researchers were able to develop a “biological antibiotic” and demonstrates that human antibodies can offer an alternative to the traditional chemical antibiotics. The study was conducted in collaboration with laboratories in the United States and China and published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Communications.

During the past century, antibiotics have served as the main treatment against bacteria, being both efficient and cheap. Antibiotics are chemical agents, designed to block and destroy specific cells, such as microbial cells. However, since some biological mechanisms are common to both human and microbial cells, the range of antibiotics that can safely be used without harming the patient is limited. For example, cell wall components of many strains of microbes are common to human cells; therefore, any damage caused to the microbial cell walls can lead to extensive damage to body systems. Furthermore, in recent years the number of microbial strains that are resistant to existing antibiotics has grown, which presents new challenges of defending the body from microbes in the post-antibiotic era.

For these reasons, Dr. Natalia Freund and her laboratory team have spent the recent years searching for a biological alternative to known antibiotics. Dr. Freund explains, “Advances in biological medicine have enabled us to rout the germs in new ways that are not based solely on antibiotics, allowing for a solution to the challenge posed by resistant germs. Our study is an initial proof of the concept of employing monoclonal antibodies (derived from single cells) as an effective therapy for combating bacterial pathogens”. Antibodies are proteins that are produced naturally by our immune response following infection or a vaccine. They harbor many advantages such as specificity, stability and safety. This is why antibodies are today in widespread use in the clinic for treatment of cancer, autoimmune diseases and viral infections such as COVID-19.

Tuberculosis as Test Case

The research team chose Tuberculosis, which is caused by infection of the bacilli Mycobacterium tuberculosis, as a test case and were able, for the first time ever, to create an effective treatment based on anti-bacterial antibodies that developed naturally during infection (the antibodies were extracted from a patient who had been infected, and has since recovered, from tuberculosis). Another reason for the choice of tuberculosis is that although the vaccine against tuberculosis was developed 100 years ago (and is based on the attenuated bacillus bovis (BCG) strain), it is not effective for adults and does not prevent infection. In addition, in recent years, more and more strains of disease have developed that are resistant to the only treatment currently available: treatment with antibiotics. Since tuberculosis bacteria are highly contagious and are transmitted through the air and damaging to the lungs, the spread of untreated resistant strains of tuberculosis constitutes a real hazard. Today, about a quarter of the world’s population is infected with tuberculosis, with the rates of drug-resistant strains peaking   as high as 40% in some countries. In Israel, there are about 200 active tuberculosis cases every year.

Dr. Natalia Freund and her research team

Future Targets: Pneumonia and Staphylococcal Infections

Due to the size and complexity of the tuberculosis bacillus, previous efforts to isolate monoclonal antibodies against it have been futile. The researchers in Dr. Freund’s laboratory have succeeded in isolating two types of antibodies which contributed to a 50% reduction of the bacterial levels in mice relative to other mice that were not treated with antibodies. These antibodies have been found to be effective against three different strains of the tuberculosis bacterium and are expected to be effective also against additional strains that have not yet been investigated, including strains that are resistant to antibiotics

Following the success of the study, Dr. Freund’s laboratory is currently exploring the possibility of extending the “biological” substitute for antibiotics to include other diseases. “The demonstrated case for this study will enable us to expand on our future work to include diseases such as pneumonia and staphylococcal infections,” says Dr. Freund.

A new TAU study examines the difficulties experienced by children with different levels of autism and their parents during Israel’s first lockdown during the coronavirus crisis (in the spring of 2020). The data shows that the drastic changes in the children’s routines and their prolonged stay in their homes instead of their special education had serious implications for the behavior and development of the children and impacted their parent’s ability to support them

The study was led by Dr. Itay Tokatly-Latzer, Prof. Orit Karnieli-Miller and Prof. Yael Leitner from the TAU Sackler Faculty of Medicine, in collaboration with the Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, and was published in the academic journal ‘Autism’.

Lack of Routine Caused Regression

The study group consisted of the parents of 25 children with autism who shared the difficulties they faced during lockdown with the researchers in real time. Some children would for instance refuse to go to sleep at night – screaming and restless, they would stay awake all through the night. Others experienced behavioral regression, returning to repetitive and stereotypical movements that had initially improved.

At the same time, however, the researchers note that there were families who experienced it differently and who found creative ways to help their children get through the crisis in a positive way: One couple chose to go along with the particular interests of their child, engaging in repetitive cake baking. The parents of another child who needed to be in constant movement, bought their son a trampoline so that he could spend his excess energy inside their home.

Support and Guidance Programs for Parents of Children with Autism

Prof. Karnieli-Miller: “Lockdowns are difficult for all of us, but all the more so for families with autistic children. For these children, even the slightest change of routine can cause harm and throw them off balance. The study showed that in many instances the parents were left helpless as they did not have the tools and the professional knowledge required to deal with the situation. The parents need to be given the tools, support and guidance in order to deal with this huge challenge and enable them to create a ‘flexible routine’ for their children.

“The findings of the study show that during periods of lockdowns the State must do whatever it takes to prevent the closing down of special education, in order to prevent causing harm to children with special needs. If the State nevertheless decides that such steps be taken, it must immediately implement assistance and guidance programs for parents of children with autism. The parents need to receive professional help and better tools for caring for their children.”