Discovery of New Class of Antibiotics Against MRSA gives hope against superbugs

A team at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence tested the effects of 82,000 lab-made molecules on roundworms infected with MRSA or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. From the 185 compounds that showed some effect, they selected two of the most promising for further attention. Both belonged to a family of molecules known as retinoids, which were originally developed in the 1960s to treat acne and cancer. Tests on the two retinoids, combined with computer modeling, showed that the compounds killed not only normal MRSA cells, but dormant, or “persister”, cells too. The drugs worked by making the membranes that surround the bacteria leakier. The same effect explained why the retinoids worked even better when used in tandem with an existing antibiotic such as gentamicin. @ https://amp.theguardian.com/society/2018/mar/28/discovery-mrsa-busting-antibiotic-hope-resistant-superbugs