Jörg Vogel (HIRI) and Linda Popella (JMU) are researching a new class of antibiotics: Growth experiments in microtiter plates help in the quest for suitable drug candidates. (Image: HIRI / Luisa Macharowsky)
Jörg Vogel (HIRI) and Linda Popella (JMU) are researching a new class of antibiotics: Growth experiments in microtiter plates help in the quest for suitable drug candidates. (Image: HIRI / Luisa Macharowsky) Because conventional antibiotics are increasingly failing, researchers at the Helmholtz Institute in Würzburg are looking for new solutions. They are known as "Klebsiella", "Escherichia coli" and "Staphylococcus ", they are found on the skin and mucous membranes, in the intestines or in the lungs - in most cases, these so-called hospital germs are harmless, but if they come into contact with immunocompromised patients, for example, they can lead so serious infections. And even worse: due to overuse and misuse of conventional antibiotics, the pathogens have now developed a variety of defense strategies that make standard active agents increasingly ineffective. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than one million people worldwide die every year as a result of infections caused by multi-resistant pathogens. By 2050, figures could rise to ten million deaths - unless new antimicrobial drugs can be developed. A promising new approach: programmable antibiotics.
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