Gateway drug: Chinese research may open new front in war on superbugs
Chinese researchers map a 'passageway' that could offer a new route for antibiotics through the defences of drug-resistant bacteria
A breakthrough in biophysics could change the fight against superbugs, according to a new study by Chinese researchers.
For the first time scientists have mapped the internal structure of a secret passageway that could open up a new front in the war against deadly bacteria and render their drug resistance useless.
Scientists have known about a "back door" into the defences of nearly all bacteria for some years. The portal opened from time to time, creating a tiny passage for antibiotics to penetrate the bacteria's membrane without triggering drug resistance.
Earlier this year, a joint study by researchers from the United States and Australia reported that a new antibiotic might have gone through the portal and killed one variety of drug-resistant bacteria.
But the attempts were hit-and-miss because the researchers did not have a clear understanding of the portal's structure and the key to opening it.
The recent discovery, made by a research team led by Chinese Academy of Sciences professor Liu Zhenfeng, could significantly accelerate the development of new antibiotics that could go through the portal.