The spread of drug-resistant superbugs that have evolved to resist
Researchers have described the first of theseshape-changing antibiotics in an article published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. So far, they've tested the drug on wax moth (Galleria mellonella) larvae, a common animal model used to test the effectiveness of antibiotics. However, they have yet to test the drug in humans or other mammals.
To create a new antibiotic, researchersused highly efficient chemical reactions that can quickly and securely “click” different chemical building blocks together, like the two halves of a seat belt buckle.
According to the CSHL statement, the new drug,essentially combines the existing antibiotic vancomycin with a bullvalene molecule, the atoms of which can easily swap places and thus form more than a million possible configurations. This atomic juggling molecule provided the ideal nucleus for a new antibiotic. Attached to this shape-shifting core are two vancomycin "warheads", one at each end.
The study authors said that compared to regular vancomycin, the shape-shifting drug may have more tools at its disposal to kill bacteria.
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