--- title: "Scientists Created a Synthetic Molecule, and It Could End Antibiotic Resistance" description: "In the fight against superbugs, researchers have discovered a way to prevent the spread of genes that carry antibiotic resistance." date: "2017-11-22" modified: "2017-11-22" authors: - name: "Dom Galeon" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/domgaleon" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/scientists-created-synthetic-molecule-end-antibiotic-resistance" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Medical" tags: - "Antibiotic Resistance" - "antimicrobial resistance" - "medical chemistry" - "superbugs" --- # Scientists Created a Synthetic Molecule, and It Could End Antibiotic Resistance ![antibiotic resistance superbugs medical chemistry antibiotics]() ## Transfer Prevention Antibiotic resistance in bacteria, which includes both common bugs and so-called superbugs, is a serious and globally recognized problem. In fact, [the United Nations elevated the issue to a crisis level]() almost a year ago now, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that [it's rapidly worsening](). There are a multitude of possible responses to antibiotic resistance, and researchers from the Université de Montréal (UdeM) in Canada may have found another potential solution. In a study published in the journal *[Scientific Reports]()* earlier this November, this team of researchers from UdeM's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine explored a method that could block the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes. The researchers focused on preventing a mechanism that allows for antibiotic resistance genes to be coded onto plasmids —which are DNA fragments that can carry genes that encode the proteins that render bacteria drug-resistant. Concretely, they found the exact binding sites for these proteins, which are essential in plasmid transfer. This allowed them to design more potent chemical molecules which reduce the transfer of gene-carrying, antibiotic-resistant plasmids. "You want to be able to find the 'soft spot' on a protein, and target it and poke it so that the protein cannot function," Christian Baron, the vice-dean of R&D at UdeM's faculty of medicine, said in [a press release](). "Other plasmids have similar proteins, some have different proteins, but I think the value of our study on TraE is that by knowing the molecular structure of these proteins we can devise methods to inhibit their function." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znnp-Ivj2ek ## A Deadly Problem The effects of antibiotic resistant bacteria are pretty much self-explanatory. Antibiotics remain a critical piece of modern medicine, and when they become ineffective, what we're left with are disease-causing superbugs that are much more difficult to treat and manage. Antibiotics are also used as prophylactic treatment during surgeries as well as in cancer therapies. According to a report by a special commission set up in the United Kingdom in 2014 called [the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance](), drug-resistant bacteria could take the lives of some 10 million people by 2050. This isn't particularly difficult to imagine since antibiotic-resistant bacteria infect 2 million people in the U.S. alone every year, [according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)](), and at least 23,000 of these cases are fatal. [Additionally, the WHO reports]() that there are about 480,000 of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis cases around the world every year. In short, antibiotic resistance is a problem we need to solve as soon as possible, starting now. Thankfully, there are a number of groups working on the issue, with a variety of approaches. Some have used CRISPR gene-editing to engineer [synthetic nanobots that specifically target antibiotic-resistant bacteria and]() there are even efforts to employ ["super enzymes" to fight off superbugs](). Meanwhile, others like the UdeM researchers are focusing on a better understanding of how bacteria work to develop methods to render them more susceptible to antibiotics. The CDC has already invested [more than $14 million to fund research]() into antibiotic resistance, and we might soon see these efforts come to fruition. This will take time, obviously, but it could help to liven up [the pace by which new drugs are produced](). As Baron said, "\[p\]eople should have hope. Science will bring new ideas and new solutions to this problem. There's a big mobilization now going on in the world on this issue. I wouldn't say I feel safe, but it's clear we're making progress." ### Author social links [LinkedIn]() [Twitter]()