Pour in the fight against resistance: New antibiotic in development!

Pour in the fight against resistance: New antibiotic in development!

The natural substance research group of Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen receives around 950,000 euros from the initiative carb-X for the development of a new Antibiotic. This antibiotic aims to combat gram -negative bacteria and is being developed on the basis of a natural product.

carb-X, a global non-profit partnership, promotes research and development of new antibiotics in order to act against the impending risk from bacterial antibiotic resistance. Gram -negative bacteria are particularly problematic, since their cell wall structure is often resistant to several antibiotic classes.

research focus and development methods

In Gießen, biosynthetic and semi-synthetic approaches are used to develop a peptide antibiotic to inhibit the protein bama. Bama is a promising goal because it is specific to gram -negative bacteria. The potential applications of the therapeutician include the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections and lung infections, especially in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Erin Duffy, R&D boss from Carb-X, emphasizes how important it is to target Bama for a broad antibiotic activity. Professor Dr. Till F. Schäberle from JLU is proud to contribute to the Mission of Carb-X, while Professor Dr. Katharina Lorenz, President of the JLU, emphasized the urgency of developing new antibiotics.

global challenges through antibiotic resistance

The estimates of the future threat from bacterial antibiotic resistance are alarming. Between 2025 and 2050 there could be up to 39 million deaths that are due to these resistance. By increasingly investing in the development of medication against gram -negative bacteria, over 11 million deaths could be prevented.

Since 2016, Carb-X has financed over 104 research and development projects in 13 countries, 18 of which are already in clinical trials or have successfully completed them. This is intended to close gaps in research. All funded developers have to create management and access plan for their products in order to ensure the responsible use of the new antibiotics.