Bye Bye Superbugs? New Antibiotic Is Virtually Resistance-Proof

A new class of antibiotics, known as macrolones, has shown promise in combating antimicrobial resistance, a growing threat to global health. These drugs employ a dual-target approach, making it significantly more difficult for bacteria to develop resistance. The World Health Organization has highlighted the severity of antimicrobial resistance, which was responsible for approximately 1.27 million deaths in 2019. The emergence of resistant "superbugs" poses a risk of returning to an era where minor infections could be fatal.

Researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago and the Beijing Institute of Technology have developed macrolones by combining two established antibiotics: macrolides, which inhibit protein synthesis by blocking the ribosome, and fluoroquinolones, which disrupt DNA structure by targeting DNA gyrase. This combination allows macrolones to attack bacteria from two different angles simultaneously.

One particular macrolone candidate demonstrated the ability to effectively target both processes at low doses, making it challenging for bacteria to evolve simple genetic defenses. Some variants of macrolones maintained efficacy even against bacteria that had developed resistance to traditional macrolides. The study emphasizes the need for further optimization of these compounds to enhance their effectiveness against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The findings were published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, offering hope in the fight against the looming "antibiotic apocalypse."