In a major breakthrough, scientists have developed the first effective alternative to antibiotics that may aid the fight against drug-resistant infections.
In a small patient trial, the drug was shown to be effective at eradicating the superbug Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Researchers said it is unlikely that the infection could develop resistance against the new treatment, which is already available as a cream for skin infections. They hope to develop a pill or an inject-able version of the drug within five years.
The treatment marks “a new era in the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria”, according to Mark Offerhaus, chief executive of the biotechnology company Micreos, which is behind the advance.
The treatment attacks infections in an entirely different way from conventional drugs and, unlike them, exclusively targets the Staphylococcus bacteria responsible for MRSA, and leaves other microbes unaffected. The approach is inspired by naturally occurring viruses that attack bacteria using enzymes called endolysins. It uses a ‘designer’ endolysin, Staphefekt, which the scientists engineered to latch on to the surface of bacteria cells and tear them apart, ‘The Times’ reported.
