UK scientists hailed a “game-changing” antibiotic in a new study released on Tuesday, which could save millions of people worldwide from drug-resistant superbugs.
The team of researchers, working in association with the University of Lincoln, achieved the breakthrough by developing new versions of the molecule teixobactin, successfully killing bacteria without damaging the tissue of the mammals it was tested on.
Using a study involving mice, the researchers managed to successfully wipe out a superbug known as MRSA, which has previously been resistant to antibiotics.
“Our ultimate goal is to have a number of viable drugs from our modular synthetic teixobactin platform which can be used as a ‘last line of defence’ against superbugs to save lives currently lost due to AMR,” Dr Ishwar Singh, who led the research, said.
Teixobactin has been previously hailed as a “game-changing” antibiotic, following a study in 2015, but the new research managed to develop “synthetic” classes of the drug, allowing for easier global distribution of the treatment, the scientists revealed.