New drug approach can prevent antibiotic resistance

The new antibiotics aim to kill a germ called Staphylococcus aureus, or staph, and antibiotic resistant strains known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Unlike the contemporary antibiotics, the new antibiotics contain iridium, a silvery-white transition metal, which does not breakdown while fighting infections in the body.

Researchers said new transition metal complexes do not breakdown, which is key for delivery of antibiotics to where they are required to fight body’s infections.

Further testing by the researchers shows that the metal compounds are non-toxic to animals and animal cells, suggesting that they are likely safe for use in humans.

Researchers showed the antibiotics effectively kill the bacteria without inhibiting mammalian cells. They tested a version of the antibiotic for toxicity in mice with no ill effects.

Joseph Falkinham, a professor of microbiology in the College of Science and an affiliate of the Virginia Tech Center for Drug Discovery 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.

"Within the next few years, we hope to identify various characteristics of these antibiotics, such as their stability, their distribution and concentration in animal tissue, their penetration into white blood cells, and their metabolism in animals."

The team is currently testing the compounds in human cell lines and till now the cells have remained normal and healthy.

The spread of MRSA is a major threat to people in hospitals and other health care facilities in both the US and Europe.