Scientists from Harvard University and the Swiss company Hoffmann-La Roche claim to have developed a unique antibiotic. Its peculiarity is that it is able to overcome drug-resistant bacteria, writes The Guardian.

We are talking about carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB), which is considered a serious threat to human health due to its high drug resistance.

“Crab is a significant cause of infection in hospitals, particularly in people who are on ventilators,” said Dr Andrew Edwards, a senior lecturer in molecular microbiology at Imperial College London, who was not involved in the research.

However, scientists have created a new antibiotic, zosurabalpin, which is able to kill CRAB. Its principle of action is that it blocks the movement of large molecules called lipopolysaccharides to the outer membrane of bacteria. Eventually, the molecules accumulate inside the bacterial cell, become toxic and the cell dies.

During the trials, the antibiotic helped mice with pneumonia and sepsis caused by CRAB.

Earlier, bioengineers used artificial intelligence to resurrect molecules from the past by identifying fragments of Neanderthal proteins that have the ability to fight bacteria. This could inspire the development of new drugs to treat human infections.