A group of researchers, led by Francesc Rabanal, professor in the Department of Organic Chemistry of the University of Barcelona (UB), has published the first results of a study of a new antibacterial compound based on natural peptides capable of selectively killing resistant pathogens. The study has proved that these compounds are highly active against clinically relevant Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. In vitro and in vivo tests have showed compounds’ low toxicity.

Bacterial resistance to almost all available antibiotics is an important public health issue. Moreover, the development of effective antibiotics has slowed down. Only seven new antibiotics were approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from 2003 to 2012 (only two new classes since 1998). All this makes it clear that there is an urgent need to develop new antibiotics against bacteria that are prone to acquire resistance to the antibiotics currently in use, particularly Gram-negative bacteria. To give an example, more people die in USA of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus than of AIDS.