A new targeted therapy drug, which neutralises the enzyme used by bacteria to provide resistance to antibotics, should be ready for human testing in about three years. By targeting a resistance mechanism that's shared by a whole bunch of pathogens, the new drug can make previously antibiotic-resistant bacteria vulnerable to existing drugs again.
Some of the most devastating bacteria get their antibiotic resistance by producing an enzyme known as New Delhi Metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM-1). It's this enzyme that the new research is targeting, by developing a molecule called a peptide-conjugated phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer (PPMO). This inhibits the bacteria's expression of NDM-1, essentially destroying its antibiotic resistance and allowing existing drugs to be effective once again. : newatlas.com/molecule-weake...
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