New Antibiotic Approach Proves Promising Against Lyme Bacterium

Using a technique that has shown promise in targeting cancer tumors, a Duke Health team and collaborators have found a way to deploy a molecular warhead that can annihilate the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. Tested in cell cultures using the Borrelia burgdoferi bacterium, the approach holds the potential to target not only bacteria, but also fungi such as yeast and viruses. The findings were published on November 1, 2023 in Cell Chemical Biology. The open-access article is titled “Targeting Borrelia burgdorferi HtpG with a Berserker Molecule, a Strategy for Anti-Microbial Development.”