A new broad range antibiotic, developed jointly by
scientists at The Rockefeller University and Astex Pharmaceuticals, has been
found to kill a wide range of bacteria, including drug-resistant Staphylococcus
(MRSA) bacteria that do not respond to traditional drugs. The antibiotic,
Epimerox, targets weaknesses in bacteria that have long been exploited by
viruses that attack them, known as phage, and has even been shown to protect
animals from fatal infection by Bacillus anthracis, the bacteria that causes
anthrax.
Target selection is critical for the development of new
antimicrobial agents. To date, most approaches for target selection have
focused on the importance of bacterial survival. However, in addition to survival, the
Rockefeller scientists believe that molecular targets should be identified by
determining which cellular pathways have a low probability for developing resistance.