All Pharmaceutical Microbiology articles
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NewsMyxobacteria reveal hidden chemistry with anticancer potential
Researchers have uncovered a previously hidden family of natural products made by soil-dwelling myxobacteria and traced how the molecules are assembled. Follow-up work showed that one of these compounds binds to AKR1C3, a human protein linked to several cancers, highlighting the drug-discovery potential of previously silent microbial genes.
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NewsMarine compound shows promise against deadly brain-eating amoeba
A compound isolated from a marine bacterium may offer a faster way to attack Naegleria fowleri, the amoeba responsible for one of the deadliest known brain infections. In laboratory tests, rutamycin B reached full potency within four hours and was far more toxic to the parasite than to human cells.
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NewsScientists explore the latest threats and promising technologies in the fight against antimicrobial resistance
Scientists dive into the latest challenges and opportunities in humanity’s fight against antimicrobial resistance. Highlighted topics include the grave danger posed by drug-resistant tuberculosis and the rollout of AI technologies to streamline the discovery of antibiotics.
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NewsResearchers engineer the first bacterial biocatalyst of a toolbox to produce greener pharma and food ingredients
To produce pharmaceuticals, food ingredients, and flavours and fragrances, it is often necessary to oxidise alcohols. But there is a more sustainable route: living organisms, including fungi, produce galactose oxidases, proteins that can carry out the same reactions on alcohols and simple sugars under mild conditions, using oxygen.
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NewsAn approach for novel antiviral compound discovery
Researchers in India have used an AI-based molecule generation platform to design a novel compound that computationally blocks one of the most conserved and functionally essential enzymes of SARS-CoV-2 — the main protease — with drug-like properties, no predicted toxicity, and a binding profile that compares favourably with clinically studied inhibitors.
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News‘Molecular movie’ captures penicillin being built atom by atom
Scientists have captured the formation of penicillin’s defining β-lactam ring in unprecedented detail, revealing fleeting chemical steps that had remained hidden for decades. Using ultrafast X-ray imaging, the researchers built a molecular movie of the reaction that could help guide future antibiotic and enzyme design.
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NewsA natural compound takes aim at C. difficile while sparing the gut microbiome
Researchers identify argyrin B, a promising natural compound that targets the bacterium behind dangerous intestinal infections while leaving beneficial gut microbes largely unharmed. The discovery could pave the way for new treatments with fewer relapses and side effects.
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NewsCould a vaccine adjuvant help prepare for future pandemics?
A study in mice shows that K3-SPG can activate innate immunity, offering potential temporary defense against respiratory viruses while vaccines are developed.
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NewsAntimalarial drugs can persist in mosquitoes, exposing malaria parasites, study finds
Antimalarial drugs are designed to protect people from malaria, but they may also affect the mosquitoes exposed to them during blood meals. A new study investigates the impact of these medications on mosquitoes, laying the groundwork for future research into how the drugs may influence the malaria parasites developing within them.
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NewsVanillin provides a sweet solution for chronic wound healing
Researchers have found that vanillin has pronounced antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, making it a good candidate for wound-healing formulations.
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NewsResearchers identify new vaccine target in malaria parasite
Researchers identified a previously uncharacterized site on the parasite’s major surface protein that antibodies can target to block liver infection, potentially preventing the dormant forms responsible for malaria relapses.
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NewsDrug helps bladder cells to clear urinary infections
Researchers have identified a way to strengthen the bladder cells’ ability to eliminate urinary tract infection bacteria sheltered in the cells of the epiithelium. The drug OM-89, marketed as Uro-Vaxom®, activates cellular degradation pathways in bladder epithelial cells while also increasing the amount of antibiotic that enters them.
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NewsA new mechanism of action against an old enemy
Researchers identified corramycin as a promising candidate against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In the laboratory, the natural compound is effective against various forms of the tuberculosis pathogen, including strains from clinical samples that are already resistant to common antibiotics.
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NewsA shorter, better-tolerated treatment for chagas disease is possible
A 30-day course of benznidazole taken once a day could offer people with chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection a safer and more practical option than the current standard treatment, taken twice a day for 60 days.
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NewsFirst-of-its-kind preventative phage therapy provides promising results
The mammalian gut microbiome is teeming with a delicate balance of bacteria and the phages that keep them in check. What if the phages in the gut could prepare for an orally ingested pathogen and strike it down as it enters the gut, negating the need for a battle?
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NewsCan AI find drugs to fight infection?
Researchers have used artificial intelligence (AI) to identify approved drugs that may be effective against Streptococcus pneumoniae. Using a dataset of molecules shown to be active against S. pneumoniae and a larger dataset of molecules inactive against another drug-resistant bacterium, the scientists trained three different learning algorithms.
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NewsBacterial trial fails to demonstrate early asthma prevention - prompting rethink of 'hygiene hypothesis'
A national clinical trial has found that treating young children with an oral bacterial extract did not reduce the risk of severe wheezing and respiratory illnesses that can precede asthma, potentially prompting researchers to rethink aspects of the hygiene hypothesis.
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NewsCommonly used cancer drugs boost MRSA antibiotics – new research
Scientists tested five anti-cancer drugs and revealed that four of them helped penicillin-type antibiotics to kill MRSA. These drugs interfere with the bacteria’s ability to make DNA, making the bacteria more vulnerable to the antibiotics.
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NewsKazakh researchers ID antiviral and anti-inflammatory compounds in native medicinal plants
Researchers have identified biologically active compounds with antiviral, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory effects in several plant species native to Kazakhstan, providing new chemical and experimental data on medicinal flora from Central Asia.
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NewsMosaic nanoparticles deliver broad-spectrum mucosal protection against diverse coronaviruses
Researchers have developed a novel “mosaic” nanoparticle vaccine platform that successfully penetrates the mucus barrier to deliver broad-spectrum mucosal protection against a diverse array of coronaviruses, including highly evasive SARS-like and MERS-like strains.