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Old approach yields new antibiotic

Nature Medicine volume 11, pages 1045–1046 (2005)Cite this article

Antibiotic discovery has been stalled for well over a decade. The discovery of a new antibiotic with an unexpected mechanism of action could reinvigorate this lagging field (pages 1082–1087).

Only two truly new antibiotics have hit the market since 2000 (refs. 1,2). One, linezolid (Zyvox) targets protein synthesis, and microbiologists are not even sure how the other, daptomycin (Cubicin), works. This sad state of affairs is not only dismaying—it's dangerous. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been on the rise, especially in intensive-care environments. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium are just two of the most clinically challenging infections.

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Figure 1: Bacterial protein degradation by the ClpXP protease.

Katie Ris

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  1. Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, 10461, New York, USA

    John S Blanchard

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  1. John S Blanchard
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Blanchard, J. Old approach yields new antibiotic. Nat Med 11, 1045–1046 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1005-1045

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1005-1045

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