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A new group of antibiotics that may provide relief to people affected by antibiotic resistance, has been developed by a team of researchers from Virginia Institute of Technology. These new antibiotics can successfully target the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (staph) and the antibiotic-resistant strains commonly known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The paper was published in Medicinal Chemistry Communications.
Joseph Falkinham, professor of microbiology, said, "We are still at the beginning of developing and testing these antibiotics but, so far, our preliminary results show a new group of antibiotics that are effective and safe."
The breakthrough discovery shows that the potential new antibiotics are unlike contemporary antibiotics because they contain iridium, a silvery-white transition metal. New transition metal complexes do not break down easily and this is important for delivery of antibiotics to where they are needed to fight infections in the body.
Further testing by the scientists revealed that these metal compounds are non-toxic to animals and animal cells. Thus, they are likely to be safe for use in humans. A version of the antibiotic was successfully tested for toxicity in mice with no ill effects.
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