University of Otago biochemistry researcher Dr Matthias Fellner said the pathogenic bacterium was a type of bacteria that could cause pneumonia, urinary tract infections, wound infections and other illnesses.
Klebsiella is a superbug that naturally lives in the gut and respiratory tract, and most often spreads from person to person or through contaminated medical devices.
Hypervirulent strains are more likely to cause severe illness and spread outside of healthcare facilities, causing lifelong health issues or even death.
Dr Fellner was awarded a Mana Tūānuku Research Leader Fellowship from the Royal Society Te Apārangi, to investigate a family of enzymes, called serine hydrolases, that are important for the survival of Klebsiella pneumoniae.
To do that, he would use synchrotron techniques for enzyme characterisations.
"Enzymes drive all of life and I will use a rapidly developing field of covalent binding molecules to target a subset of enzymes called serine hydrolases to develop new antibiotics that have the potential to overcome resistant mechanisms."
He said infections from antibiotic-resistant bacteria were a rising threat, rendering our present medicines ineffective and putting patients at great risk.
"The World Health Organisation has classified Klebsiella pneumoniae as a critical priority pathogen for which new treatments are urgently needed."
The aim was to provide a pipeline of new antibiotic candidates, designed to overcome resistance, treat dangerous infections, and save lives, he said.
Dr Fellner was one of three University of Otago researchers to receive the $1.16 million fellowships.
"I hope the insights we generate can help support the development of policies that are less divisive, and that genuinely address the major public health challenges we face."
The project would also examine how different kinds of information, including misinformation, shaped people’s beliefs about public health issues.
Otago microbiology and immunology researcher Associate Prof Matthew McNeil also received a fellowship, which would allow him to investigate the molecular forces shaping the evolution of antibiotic drug resistance.
He will use the infectious bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis as a model to investigate how and why specific antibiotic-resistance genes emerge and spread.
"By advancing our fundamental understanding of bacterial physiology and evolution, this research will support the development of novel drugs and help us to predict and prevent the evolution of antibiotic resistance," he said.
