Research breakthrough for fighting superbugs

Kudos and props to the research team at The University of British Columbia and Inimex Pharmaceuticals with the announcement of a stunning new breakthrough in the ongoing struggle against drug-resistant bacteria. Principal investigator Robert Hancock commented, “Antibiotics are now under threat because of the explosion in antibiotic-resistant bacteria. A third of all deaths on this planet are the result of infection so there is an urgent need to create new therapies.”

The new therapy? Instead of having an antibiotic which acts directly on the bacteria, the researchers have identified a peptide that can fight infection by boosting the body’s own immune system.

 

The team found that a peptide, or chain of amino acids, they have dubbed innate defense regulator peptide (IDR-1), can increase innate immunity without triggering harmful inflammation, and offer protection both before and after infection is present.

 

The discovery, in animal models, will be published March 25 in the journal Nature Biotechnology…

“We now have a powerful new tool that will allow us to stop infection before it starts — it’s a new concept in treating infection,” says Hancock….

Researchers expect it will be about 12-15 months before the discovery is introduced into human clinical trials.

 

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