Antibiotics

Cresset Discovery and the University of Exeter have entered a collaboration to discovery novel antimicrobial drugs.  Cresset Discovery will use virtual screening to identify promising new candidates, building on research led by Dr Stefano Pagliara.  Virtual screening enables chemists to explore new chemical space, discover diverse chemotypes and generate new IP.  Antimicrobials play a fundamental […]

For World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (18-24 November), DDW’s Diana Spencer provides an overview of the latest news in antimicrobial resistance and drug discovery.  1. New class of antibiotics for TB A first-in-class investigational antitubercular agent has shown early bactericidal activity with a low, once-daily oral dose after 14 days of treatment.   The Phase IIa study […]

An Oxford University study has provided the first evidence that antibiotic resistant bacteria can travel from the gut to the lung, increasing the risk of deadly infections.  The findings coincide with World Antimicrobial Awareness Week and shed light on how antimicrobial resistance (AMR) arises and persists.   The study, which has been published in Nature Communications […]

The latest episode of the DDW Highlights podcast is now available to listen to below. DDW’s Megan Thomas narrates five key stories of the week to keep DDW subscribers up-to-date on the latest industry updates.  This week started with World Diabetes Day on 14 November and concluded with the start of World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, which aims to […]

News round-up for 14-18 November by DDW Digital Content Editor Diana Spencer.  This week started with World Diabetes Day on 14 November and concluded with the start of World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, which aims to improve education and understanding of the growing issue of antimicrobial resistance.  There were also exciting developments in the field of […]

Developing new antibiotics is essential to winning the fight against resistant infections, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has said.  The comments come ahead of World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (18-24 November), which aims to improve the awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).   The event seeks to encourage best practices among the public, health […]

A first-in-class investigational antitubercular agent has shown early bactericidal activity with a low, once-daily oral dose after 14 days of treatment.  The Phase IIa study evaluated GSK’s GSK3036656 in participants with drug-susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis. The company hopes GSK3036656 could be a component of simpler treatment regimens in the future which could help address the TB […]

News round-up for 17-21 October by DDW Digital Content Editor Diana Spencer  Amid continued concern about antibiotic resistance, the headline news this week was the discovery of a new antibiotic that could be effective against some of the most treatment-resistant pathogens.   However, there was also controversy as researchers faced a backlash from the National Institute […]

By DDW Editor Reece Armstrong  The threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has long been a talking point for those invested in healthcare and life sciences. Indeed, for many, it is a looming threat for which inaction could result in very serious consequences for healthcare systems worldwide.   AMR is currently listed as one of the top […]

An international team of researchers has discovered a new antibiotic by computational analysis and deciphered its mode of action.  The researchers also found that Dynobactin kills Gram-negative bacteria, which include many dangerous and resistant pathogens.  The team were led by researchers from the Northeastern University in Boston, together with Prof Sebastian Hiller from the Biozentrum […]

Urgent access to vaccines that can fight and prevent infections, and curb the risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is needed to save lives, according to a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO).  WHO has released the first-ever report1 looking at the pipeline of vaccines currently in development to fight infections caused by (AMR)  It […]

News round-up by DDW’s Reece Armstrong for 6-10 June Antibiotic developments, vaccines for MMR and business expansions are some of the features of this week’s news round-up. US gets another MMR vaccine option in GSK’s Priorix   GSK’s vaccine for the prevention of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) has been approved by the US FDA, the […]

Biotechnology company Nosopharm has reported positive toxicology results for its first-in-class antibiotic for the treatment of multidrug-resistant hospital-acquired infections. The company’s NOSO-502 is the first clinical candidate in the new class of antibiotics called Odilorhabdins and is being developed alongside GNA NOW, a European Consortium funded by the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 (IMI2). Discovered by […]

Sanford Burnham Prebys professor Andrei Osterman, Ph.D., has been awarded a $3.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand current knowledge of antibiotic resistance, which will inform more precise antibiotic prescribing practices and help researchers develop drugs that are harder for bacteria to resist.   Context  Antibiotic resistance is responsible for at least 700,000 […]

Antibiotic Research UK (ANTRUK) is funding seven new antibiotic research projects totalling £200,000, reportedly the largest sum it has ever awarded through its 2021 Small Research Grants / Career Development Awards scheme. The grants will fund essential academic research in both basic and applied sciences to help prevent another global pandemic, this time caused by antibiotic resistant […]

 The AMR Action Fund, a public-private partnership supporting the development of new antibiotics to address rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR), has appointed William (Bill) Burns as Board Chair.   Burns has worked in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry throughout his life, providing invaluable experience for his role as Board Chair today, when the need for novel […]