While WHO urges more R&D investment for this urgent global health challenge, researchers offer a promising treatment and a route to find more.
Pre-methylenomycin C lactone is emerging as a promising antibiotic candidate thanks to its simple structure, scalable synthesis, and striking potency, say researchers.
According to the research team from the University of Warwick and Monash University, it shows activity specifically against drug-resistant bacterial pathogens.
This included Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE).
It is an intermediate in the process that produces the antibiotic methylenomycin A but is over 100 times more active against diverse Gram-positive bacteria than the original antibiotic.
Importantly, it did not develop resistance in Enterococcus during testing under conditions where vancomycin resistance typically occurs.
Since vancomycin is considered a “last-line” treatment for Enterococcus infections, this finding is particularly encouraging for tackling VRE, a WHO-designated High Priority Pathogen.
A recent WHO report stated that greater efforts are needed to reduce the spread of drug-resistant infections, with Gram-negative bacteria being the most urgent focus.
Only five of the antibacterials currently in development are effective against at least one of the WHO “critical” bacteria.
“This discovery suggests a new paradigm for antibiotic discovery,” said Professor Greg Challis, co-lead author and professor of chemistry at the University of Warwick and Biomedicine Discovery Institute at Monash University.
“By identifying and testing intermediates in the pathways to diverse natural compounds, we may find potent new antibiotics with more resilience to resistance that will aid us in the fight against AMR.”
The next step in the development of the antibiotic will be pre-clinical testing.
“The Centre to Impact AMR at Monash gives us a great platform to take this promising antimicrobial forward,” said Professor David Lupton of Monash University’s School of Chemistry.
The parent bacterium is a model antibiotic-producing species which has been studied extensively since the 1950s, said co-lead author Dr Lona Alkhalaf, assistant professor at the University of Warwick.
“Finding a new antibiotic in such a familiar organism was a real surprise,” she said.
In a media statement, researchers said the discovery has the potential to save some of the 1.1 million people who are victims of AMR every year.
Related
The Monash Warwick Alliance Combatting Emerging Superbug Threats Initiative announced these findings ahead of the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week this week,
This year’s event to mark the awareness week was the regional antimicrobial stewardship summit. Held last Friday (November 21), the event was sold out.
In other positive news, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre achieved a 90-95% compliance with prescribing guidelines, according to the latest National Antimicrobial Prescribing Survey, which surpassed the national average of 70-75%.
