Scientists at the University of Liverpool, UK, have identified a new class of antibiotic that shows strong activity against multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been designated a major global health crisis by the World Health Organization (WHO), contributing to almost five million deaths each year. MDR bacteria play a central role in driving AMR, prompting the WHO to compile a list of ‘priority pathogens’, which includes methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Enterococcus faecium.
The newly developed antibiotic platform, Novltex, has demonstrated potent efficacy against both MRSA and E. faecium. The work was led by Ishwar Singh, reader in antimicrobial drug discovery at the University of Liverpool. Singh’s team previously developed a simplified synthetic version of teixobactin – a natural compound produced by bacteria in soil to eliminate microbial competitors.
Building on this research, Novltex is based on a library of synthetic teixobactins and is designed to target lipid II, an essential building block of bacterial cell walls. Because lipid II does not mutate, the therapy has the potential to remain effective across multiple resistant strains. The researchers reported that Novltex demonstrated rapid and potent activity when compared with existing antibiotics.
Singh said: “By creating a modular, scalable platform that targets an immutable bacterial structure, we have taken an important step towards antibiotics that remain effective against superbugs like MRSA.
“While much more testing is required before Novltex reaches patients, our results show that durable and practical solutions to AMR are within reach.”
The research was supported by Innovate UK, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Rosetrees Trust, in collaboration with international partners.
The team will continue to refine the platform with the aim of assessing efficacy and pharmacokinetics in living systems before advancing towards clinical trials.