The rising threat of antimicrobial resistance has sparked a global health crisis, with projections indicating 39 million deaths worldwide over the next 25 years. In a significant breakthrough, researchers have discovered a powerful antibiotic that could help combat drug-resistant infections. This move reflects broader industry trends towards exploring unconventional sources for new antimicrobial compounds.
By studying the molecular pathway of the soil bacterium Streptomyces coelicolor, scientists have identified an intermediate compound, premethylenomycin C lactone, with antimicrobial activity 100 times stronger than the final product, methylenomycin A. As Dr. Gregory Challis, a chemical biologist at the University of Warwick, notes, “As humans, we anticipate that evolution perfects the end product, and so you’d expect the final molecule to be the best antibiotic, and the intermediates to be less potent.” However, this finding challenges that assumption, highlighting the potential of intermediate compounds in the development of new antibiotics.
The discovery was a result of a long-term research effort, which began in 2006, to sequence the bacterium’s genome and map its molecular pathway. By 2010, the team had identified several intermediate molecules, but it wasn’t until 2017 that a PhD student tested these compounds for antimicrobial activity. The results revealed that premethylenomycin C lactone was highly effective against seven strains of Gram-positive bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecium, which can cause deadly infections.
This breakthrough has significant implications for the development of new antibiotics, as it underscores the potential of exploring “old” pathways for new bioactive compounds. As Gerard Wright, a biochemist at McMaster University, notes, such studies can lead to the identification of fresh drug candidates to tackle resistance. With the rising threat of antimicrobial resistance, this discovery offers a glimmer of hope for the future of healthcare.
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