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posted by cmn32480 on Wednesday September 14 2016, @01:14AM   Printer-friendly
from the like-throwing-stars-but-smaller dept.

Tiny, star-shaped molecules are effective at killing bacteria that can no longer be killed by current antibiotics, new research shows.

The study, published today in Nature Microbiology, holds promise for a new treatment method against antibiotic-resistant bacteria (commonly known as superbugs).

The star-shaped structures, are short chains of proteins called 'peptide polymers', and were created by a team from the Melbourne School of Engineering.
...
tests undertaken on red blood cells showed that the star-shaped polymer dosage rate would need to be increased by a factor of greater than 100 to become toxic. The star-shaped peptide polymer is also effective in killing superbugs when tested in animal models.

Furthermore, superbugs showed no signs of resistance against these peptide polymers. The team discovered that their star-shaped peptide polymers can kill bacteria with multiple pathways, unlike most antibiotics which kill with a single pathway.

Let's hope any such molecules are thoroughly vetted with long-term studies before being introduced to medical therapies.


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  • (Score: 3, Funny) by Bogsnoticus on Wednesday September 14 2016, @06:55AM

    by Bogsnoticus (3982) on Wednesday September 14 2016, @06:55AM (#401680)

    Now, if they can only find ninjas small enough to be able to throw these stars at the bacterium, we'll be set.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 14 2016, @04:22PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 14 2016, @04:22PM (#401867)

    you, sir, are a funny ninja!