Wistar Institute reports that it has discovered a new class of antibiotics that launch a two-pronged attack on harmful bacterial diseases.
The first prong is similar to conventional antibiotics, but the second is new in that it triggers a rapid immune response.
Farokh Dotiwala, assistant professor in the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center and lead author of the report, said “we reasoned that harnessing the immune system to simultaneously attack bacteria on two different fronts makes it hard for them to develop resistance.”
The World Health Organization has identified antimicrobial resistance as one of the top 10 global public health threats.
It is estimated that by 2050, antibiotic-resistant infections could claim 10 million lives each year and cost $100 trillion globally.
