Researchers have designed and synthesized analogs of a new antibiotic that is effective against multidrug-resistant bacteria, opening a new front in the fight against these infections. Antibiotics are vital drugs in the treatment of a number of bacterial diseases. However, due to continuing overuse and misuse, the number of bacteria strains that are resistant to multiple antibiotics is increasing, affecting millions of people worldwide. The development of new antibacterial compounds that target multiple-drug-resistant bacteria is also an active field of research so that this growing issue can be controlled. A team led by Professor Satoshi Ichikawa at Hokkaido University has been working on the development of new antibacterials. The team’s most recent research, published in the journal Nature Communications on December 20, 2022, details the development of a highly effective antibacterial compound that is effective against the most common multidrug-resistant bacteria. The open-access article is titled “Synthesis of Macrocyclic Nucleoside Antibacterials and Their Interactions with MraY.” The team worked on a class of antibacterial compounds called sphaerimicins. These compounds block the function of a protein in the bacteria called MraY. MraY is essential for the replication of bacteria and plays a role in the synthesis of the bacterial cell wall; it is also not a target of currently available commercial antibiotics.
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