It was nearly three decades ago when the last new class of antibiotics made it to clinic. Since then there has been a drought but a new U.S. discovery, which is being considered as a “game changer,” might be very promising for the future of antibiotic medicine. U.S. scientists have developed a new method for growing bacteria which has provided some 25 new antibiotics, of which one is believed to be “very promising.”
The team, from the Northeastern University in Boston, created a “subterranean” hotel for bacteria where a bacterium was place in separate “rooms” before the entire device was buried in soil.
Scientists involved in this believe they will be able to grown half of all soil bacteria, using this method they have already been able to discover 25 new antibiotics, with texiobactin being “the latest and most promising one,” according to lead scientist Prof Kim Lewis. They believe its unlikely for bacteria to develop resistance to this new antibiotic.
Human tests haven’t been conducted but teixobactin was found to be toxic to bacteria without damaging mammalian tissues, tests on mice revealed that it can clear a deadly dose of MRSA.
Clinical development will take time before teixobactin is deemed safe enough to be used as a new drug for treating infections. Nevertheless this new method has got scientists and researchers interested, and hopefull that the antibiotics drought could soon be over.