Antibiotic resistance is one of the most urgent global health threats, but researchers have recently made a breakthrough with a synthetic drug called cresomycin.
Developed by scientists at Harvard University and the University of Illinois at Chicago, this novel antibiotic targets bacterial ribosomes—the protein factories of cells—using an innovative mechanism.
Unlike traditional drugs in its class, cresomycin is specially designed to bypass the resistance mechanisms that have rendered many antibiotics ineffective.
A plate of Klebsiella pneumoniae, an antibiotic-resistant bacteria which cresomycin targets.
In mouse models, cresomycin successfully defeated multidrug-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, offering new hope in the fight against superbugs.
What sets cresomycin apart is its tailored molecular structure, allowing it to tightly bind to ribosomes that other antibiotics fail to affect. The drug also showed no significant toxicity in cultured human cells, moving it closer to clinical trials.
This discovery could help combat bacterial infections that kill over a million people annually. While human trials are needed to confirm its safety and effectiveness, cresomycin demonstrates how science can outpace bacterial evolution. Learn more about this exciting discovery here.
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