Chemical Could Lead to New, Lifesaving Antibiotics

Oddly enough, groups of bacteria naturally make antibiotics when they're under some sort of stress. Meaning that the antibiotics that cure us of aliments were actually obtained from the pathogens that make us ill. Naturally, this makes bacteria very useful in researching new medications.

Unfortunately, the amount of antibiotic produced by bacteria is extremely small, only micrograms. Most chemists need at least milligrams of a substance to analyze it, but Dr Christophe Corre and Professor Greg Challis from the University of Warwick's Department of Chemistry were able to lead a team of researchers to use only micrograms of 5 signaling antibiotic compounds.

The key to their discovery is the 2-alkyl-4-hydroxymethylfuran-3-carboxylic acids, or AHFCAs. In more understandable terms, they found a group of acids that appear to control the production of antibiotics in bacteria. This discovery, combined with genetic knowledge of certain bacteria, could lead to a more practical way for antibiotics and bacteria to be studied in a lab, and yield an assortment of new antibiotics.

While discovering potential new antibiotics may not seem like a big deal, it sincerely is. Bacteria are notorious for rapid evolution, and they can quickly become resistant to medications in a short amount of time. This means that health issues that were once easily treated with antibiotics are no longer so easily treated. Things such as staph infections and pneumonia are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics worldwide. "AHFCAs could unlock hundreds of new antibiotics to replenish our dwindling arsenal of effective antibiotic drugs," says Dr Christophe Corre.

This research is quite new, and no specific antibiotics have been discovered yet. The research team is in need of funding to continue their research, which should be quite easy to get. Many pharmaceutical companies are eager to fund any research program that has the potential to yield new, useful antibiotics.