New compound to target drug-resistant bacteria
Researchers have created a new compound to make drug-resistant bacteria susceptible to antibiotics.
A study at Brown University has used the compound BU-005 to block the pumps that a bacterium employs to expel the antibacterial agent chloramphenicol.
Scientists used new technology to synthesise BU-005 and other C-capped dipeptides in order to disable bacterial pumps, which adapt to recognise drugs that penetrate the bacteria's membrane.
Jason Sello, assistant professor of chemistry at Brown University, stated: "In the worst case scenario, a bacterium can go from being drug-susceptible to resistant to five or six different drugs by acquiring a single gene."
The pump works through a three part system, although researchers have thus far only described the two parts that pump toxins from bacteria and allows them to resist antibiotics.
Understanding of how the three parts work together could help medical researchers find more ways to restore the effectiveness of antibiotics.
The discovery at Brown University is the first vital step to treating multiple diseases, without constantly having to develop new treatments.
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