A new powerful ‘game-changing’ antibiotic could save millions of lives around the world from drug-resistant, new research from the University of Liverpool, UK Invasion of sexual superbugs.
This new antibiotic is a simplified synthetic version of the compound Teixobactin, which kills bacteria without damaging mammalian tissue.
In experiments, researchers used the compound to successfully eradicate the superbug Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in mice. MRSA is a common clinically virulent bacterium that has become resistant to widely used antibiotics.
MRSA
Teixobactin was first hailed as a “game-changing” antibiotic in 2015, but the new study developed a simplified synthetic version of the compound. The new version of the compound can be stored at room temperature, making it much easier for future drugs to be distributed globally.
In 2019, more than 1.2 million people died from antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, according to a January 2021 study in The Lancet.
Global health officials have repeatedly warned that the misuse and overuse of antibiotics has fueled the evolution of microbes into “superbugs,” leading to a constant threat from drug-resistant bacteria and other pathogenic microorganisms.
In the future, patients may be able to treat life-threatening systemic drug-resistant bacterial infections with a single daily dose of Teixobactin, the team said.
They also say that by replacing certain amino acids on the molecule with cheaper alternatives, the cost of pharmaceuticals has been reduced by more than 2,000 times.
Researchers hope the new results will pave the way for large-scale, inexpensive production of drugs.
The study’s lead researcher, Dr. Ishwar Singh, said the breakthrough is an important step towards addressing the current growing crisis of antibiotic resistance.