With the help of the European Research Council scientists have discovered a previously unknown part of the immune system that ‘could provide an untapped source of natural antibiotics’.
The research, which was published in Nature, focused on proteasomes – structures in cells that break down proteins. The study found proteasomes could also detect bacteria in cells and they can create defences against that bacteria to halt its growth.
A woman with white hair covering her face
Scientists said: ‘These findings pave the way for previously undescribed diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in the fight against infectious diseases.’
While speaking to the BBC, who were the first to break the story, Professor Yifta Merbl from the Weizmann Institute of Science, added: ‘We discovered a novel mechanism of immunity that is allowing us to have a defence against bacterial infection.
‘It’s happening throughout our body in all the cells and generates a whole new class of potential natural antibiotics.’
When conducting the research, scientists went through a process they called ‘dumpster diving’ to find these natural antibiotics. They were tested on bacteria growing in the laboratory and on mice with pneumonia and sepsis. The researchers said they were getting results comparable to some established antibiotics.
These findings couldn’t have come at a better time. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) new antibiotics and alternative defences against infections are sorely needed, as over time and with overuse and poor public health systems these pathogens become resistant to older forms of treatment.
What’s more, it is estimated that more than a million people a year die from infections that are resistant to drugs like antibiotics.
Photo by Markus Kammermann via UnSplash
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