Science & Technology

First new antibiotic in 30 years discovered

By T.K. Randall
January 8, 2015 ·  22 comments

The breakthrough could help put an end to superbugs. Image Credit: CC BY 2.0 US Army RDECOM There has been a lot of concern lately about the prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria, a problem with the potential to result in a world where even the most minor surgical operations could prove fatal, but now scientists working on finding new types of antibiotics for which resistant strains have yet to develop have this week reported a significant breakthrough.

Researchers at the Northeastern University in Boston have announced the discovery of Teixobactin, the first new antibiotic in three decades. Initial test results are extremely promising and the new drug should be available to patients within the next five years.

[google]The find is particularly good news because it was made thanks to a new technique that uses soil-dwelling microbes to help isolate antibiotic chemical compounds.

"Apart from the immediate implementation, there is also I think a paradigm shift in our minds because we have been operating on the basis that resistance development is inevitable and that we have to focus on introducing drugs faster than resistance ," said Professor Kim Lewis.

"Teixobactin shows how we can adopt an alternative strategy and develop compounds to which bacteria are not resistant."

Source: Telegraph | Comments (22)

Tags: Antibiotics, Bacteria