Potential new MRSA-killing antibiotic developed by mining microbial 'dark matter'

Researchers at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, have made a breakthrough in antibiotic research.

A novel approach for growing bacteria in soil has produced 25 new antibiotics, and one has been branded “very promising.” Although soil is rich in microbes, only 1% of those can be successfully grown in a laboratory. By creating a device, the iChip, that works under the surface of the soil, researchers were able to determine that they can grow nearly half of all soil bacteria.

Kim Lewis, the lead scientist in the research and co-founder of NovoBiotic Pharmaceuticals, said: "So far 25 new antibiotics have been discovered using this method and teixobactin is the latest and most promising one. [The study shows] uncultured bacteria do harbor novel chemistry that we have not seen before. That is a promising source of new antimicrobials and will hopefully help revive the field of antibiotic discovery."