In the journal Cell, the researchers report they’ve discovered a new antibiotic called pseudouridimycin that appears to work well in animal models. The antibiotic comes from a microbe that was discovered in Italian soil as part of an effort to discover new drug compounds.
Beyond the discovery, the researchers were able to test the antibiotic and show that it acts against drug-resistant bacteria in test tubes and appears to combat infections in mice models. The way the antibiotic targets bacteria is different from similar drugs on the market and makes it less prone to developing resistance, the researchers say. “I think pharma made a mistake in leaving this space,” says study author Richard H. Ebright, Board of Governors professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Rutgers-New Brunswick.
Ebright says that he and his research team will likely spend 1-3 more years trying to make it even more effective. “We can make small tweaks to the chemical structure that would make it a bit more potent,” says Ebright.Much more research needs to be done on the new compound before it's available. Should the new antibiotic make it to market, it would be one of the first new antibiotic drugs made available in more than a decade.
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