Researchers have revived the antibiotic vancomycin by combining it with a small molecule that blocks bacterial resistance mechanisms. The approach successfully killed drug-resistant Enterococcus faecium in lab tests. It offers a potential new strategy against superbugs without developing entirely new drugs.
Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Scripps Research identified a compound called PGHI-4 that inhibits the bacterial enzyme SagA. When paired with vancomycin, the combination restored the drug's ability to eliminate resistant E. faecium strains.
Professor John Moses of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory noted that the discovery stemmed from fundamental chemical research using diversity oriented clicking methods. His team had built a library of over 150 compounds, one of which proved key to the finding.
The study, published in Nature Communications, involved collaboration with Professor Howard Hang's group. Researchers hope the method can be applied to other failing antibiotics, including those targeting tuberculosis.
Antibiotic resistance poses growing risks to medical procedures worldwide. The work demonstrates how existing drugs might be rescued through targeted chemical helpers rather than replaced outright.
