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Updated: Jul 23, 2025

Author Spotlight: Metallic Nanocomposites to Eliminate Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
Published on: October 4, 2024
Recent advances in the development of metal complexes as antibacterial agents with metal-specific modes of action
Jessica E Waters1, Lars Stevens-Cullinane1, Lukas Siebenmann1
1Biological Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, United Kingdom; Department of Chemistry, King's College London, Britannia House, 7 Trinity Street, London SE1 1DB, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
The mounting burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most concerning threats to public health worldwide. With low economic incentives and a dwindling supply of new drugs in clinical pipelines, more innovative approaches to novel drug design and development are desperately required. Metal-based compounds are rapidly emerging as an alternative to organic drugs, as they have the ability to kill pathogens via metal-specific modes of action. We herein review recent advances in metal-based antibacterial agents, including metal complexes, metal ions and catalytic metallodrugs. The review concludes with a perspective on the rational design of metal-based antibiotics, and how we can exploit their unique properties to tackle AMR.
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