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Chicago, IL - A team of researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago and collaborators from China have made an exciting breakthrough in the fight against antibiotic resistance. They have developed a new class of semi-synthetic antibiotics called macrolones that target bacteria in two distinct ways, making it exponentially more difficult for the bacteria to evolve resistance.

The study, published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, highlights the urgent need for new antibiotics as drug-resistant superbugs pose a significant threat to global health. Macrolones offer a promising solution by combining two types of antibiotics into one molecule: macrolides and fluoroquinolones. Macrolides inhibit protein synthesis in bacteria, while fluoroquinolones block bacteria from replicating their DNA.

"By targeting two different cellular processes, macrolones significantly reduce the likelihood that bacteria will develop resistance," explained lead researcher Professor Alexander Mankin. "Our calculations show that macrolones are 100 million times more effective than traditional antibiotics in preventing bacteria from evolving resistance."