New means of discovering antibiotics identified

A revolutionary new method for identifying and characterising antibiotics has been developed and described by researchers at the University of California, San Diego.

Using a combination of microscopy and quantitative biology tools, scientists can perform the equivalent of an autopsy on biological cells, making it possible to understand how potential drug candidates function more rapidly than ever.

With this new method, researchers will be able to identify the likely cellular pathways that a given molecule targets within a few hours, removing the need for many different biochemical assays to be performed on a large quantity of the compound.

This discovery could greatly aid current global efforts to address the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance and the emergence of superbugs that are immune to current therapies such as penicillin.

Joseph Pogliano, a professor of biology at UC San Diego, said: "This will provide a powerful new tool for identifying compounds that kill bacteria and determining how they work."

It comes at a time when the UK government is calling for greater worldwide cooperation to drive forward research in this important field.