Sofia Gama, a professor at Instituto Superior Técnico and a researcher at Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares (C2TN), is leading a project that aims to revolutionise the diagnosis of infections caused by multi-resistant bacteria, known as super-bacteria. The “SuperOpTyMe” project will start in the second quarter of 2025, extending over three years, and proposes a new approach for the selective detection of infections caused by these bacteria, which pose a growing threat to global public health. The project is based on the optimised use of radiolabelled natural compounds produced by bacteria, enabling faster and more accurate diagnosis of serious bacterial infections.
“This innovative technique will enable rapid, selective and non-invasive detection of infections caused by multi-resistant bacteria, facilitating more effective clinical intervention to eradicate infectious foci and enabling more efficient treatments, reducing the mortality associated with these infections”, emphasises Sofia Gama.
According to the researcher “bacteria, like human beings, need metals such as iron or copper to survive”. “In order to obtain these metals from their environment, they have developed specific mechanisms, including the production and excretion of metallophores – molecules that bind to the desired metal and are subsequently reabsorbed, transporting the metal into the cell interior”, she adds.
This mechanism is at the root of the ‘SuperOpTyMe’ project, whose aim is to identify, in living organisms, the presence of infections caused by multi-resistant bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. For this purpose, the team will use advanced diagnostic imaging techniques, in particular positron emission tomography (PET).
The project’s strategy is based on the use of specific metallophores, produced exclusively by these bacteria, to coordinate metals with radioactive properties, such as the copper isotope 64Cu. This isotope emits positron and beta radiation, with applications in both PET and molecular radiotherapy. As the metallophore/Cu system is naturally recognised and absorbed by the bacteria, it will become possible to precisely visualise infectious foci.
“Thanks to the high specificity of the metallophores used, we hope to be able to ensure that the radioactive compound concentrates only on the bacterial cells we want to study, increasing the quality of the signal captured by the imaging technique. Considering that S. aureus and P. aeruginosa are among the main causes of serious and potentially fatal hospital infections, the ability to detect them effectively could represent a significant advance in public health”, explains Sofia Gama.
With funding of around 240 thousand euros from the European Union, under the scope of the Portugal 2030 Programme, and co-financed by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), ‘SuperOpTyMe’ has the collaboration of leading Portuguese institutions such as the Hospital de Santa Maria – Unidade de Pneumologia Oncológica (Lisbon), ICNAS – Institute for Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (Coimbra), RISE-Health (Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã), and international institutions CIC biomaGUNE (Centre for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials, San Sebastián, Spain) and the Università degli Studi di Messina (Italy).
The project is part of the priorities of the Portugal 2030 programme, under the ‘Portugal + Inteligente’ strategic axis, focusing on research and innovation as drivers of a more competitive and sustainable economy. The project is aligned with the Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDG), namely SDG 3 – Quality Health and SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.
