IIT-Kanpur researchers breakthrough can aid fights against drug-resistant microbes

The research paper on the discovery, published in Cell, a peer-reviewed scientific journal, will arm scientists working in the field of antimicrobial drug resistance with new information to further their research.

An Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur (IIT-K) research team has made a significant breakthrough with the first-ever visualisation of the complete structure of the Duffy antigen receptor, which can aid the fight against drug-resistant microbes.

The receptor protein, found on the surface of red blood cells and other cells in the human body acts as a gateway into the cell, facilitating infections by destructive pathogens like malaria parasites.

The research paper on the discovery, published in Cell, a peer-reviewed scientific journal, will arm scientists working in the field of antimicrobial drug resistance with new information to further their research, the institute said in a statement.

“Our success in finally visualising this receptor… will support the designing of next-generation medicines including new antibiotics and antimalarials, especially at a time when we are facing escalating antimicrobial resistance,” team leaders Professor Arun K Shukla of the department of biological sciences and bioengineering said.

The visualisation will pave the way for further research into therapies for drug-resistant malaria and Staphylococcus infections as well as infections such as HIV, IIT-K said in a statement.

The research team employed cryogenic-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to unveil the intricate architecture of the Duffy antigen receptor, throwing new light on its unique structural features that distinguish it from similar receptors.

The details will be crucial in the designing of highly targeted therapies that can effectively block infections without causing unwanted side effects.

While the Duffy antigen receptor is common in most populations, a significant percentage of people of African descent do not produce it on their red blood cells due to a genetic variation, Shukla said. This makes them naturally resistant to certain types of malaria parasites that rely on that specific gateway to infect those cells. “This shows how important the Duffy antigen receptor is for these diseases and how targeting it could lead to new treatments,” he said.

The research team included Shirsha Saha, Jagannath Maharana, Saloni Sharma, Nashrah Zaidi, Annu Dalal, Sudha Mishra, Manisankar Ganguly, Divyanshu Tiwari, Ramanuj Banerjee, and Prof. Arun Kumar Shukla from IIT-K.

Researchers from CDRI Lucknow, Zurich in Switzerland, Suwon in Republic of Korea, Tohoku in Japan, and Belfast in United Kingdom were also part of the team.

The research was funded primarily by the Department of Biotechnology, Department of Science and Technology, Science and Engineering Research Board DBT Wellcome Trust India Alliance, and IIT-Kanpur