This is a revolutionary discovery.
Researchers have uncovered promising new avenues for antibiotic development by exploring the complex microbial environment of the human gut, according to a recent study.
Marcelo Torres, the lead author and a research associate in bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania, reported that molecules derived from gut microbiome studies have shown potential for creating new types of antibiotics. “These molecules are composed differently from traditional antimicrobials,” Torres noted in a university release. “They represent a novel class of compounds, which could expand our understanding and development of antimicrobial agents.”
The study, published on August 19 in Cell, addresses the urgent need for new antibiotics as bacteria continue to evolve resistance to existing treatments. The constant evolution of harmful bacteria, which can quickly adapt to overcome previously effective drugs, highlights the critical need for innovative antibiotic solutions.
César de la Fuente, the senior author and an assistant professor of bioengineering at UPenn’s Perelman School of Medicine, led the research team. He suggested that the competitive environment within the human gut, where bacteria vie for dominance, might produce powerful new antimicrobial substances. “The gut is a challenging environment with bacteria coexisting and competing,” de la Fuente said in a university news release. “Such conditions may drive biological innovation.”
To tap into this potential, the researchers analyzed the gut microbiomes of nearly 2,000 individuals. Instead of relying on traditional methods, which involve laborious processes of collecting and purifying samples from soil or water, the team leveraged extensive biological data from genomes, metagenomes, and proteomes of microbes to rapidly identify new antibiotic candidates.
The focus was on peptides—short proteins produced by gut bacteria known for their antibiotic properties. The team evaluated over 400,000 peptides, narrowing the selection down to 78 with promising antibiotic potential. Laboratory tests revealed that about half of these peptides effectively inhibited bacterial growth.
Notably, one peptide, prevotellin-2, demonstrated an ability to combat bacterial infections comparable to a powerful FDA-approved antibiotic used for multidrug-resistant infections. “Finding prevotellin-2 was quite surprising,” said Ami Bhatt, a co-author and professor of medicine (hematology) and genetics at Stanford University. “This discovery suggests that exploring the human microbiome for new antimicrobial peptides could be a valuable direction for future research and treatment, benefiting both researchers and patients alike.”
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