STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO
For decades, scientists have looked for ways to make alternate versions of antibiotics naturally produced by bacteria and fungi in hopes of expanding the activities of available drugs. In a study published today (May 29) in Science Advances, researchers from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo report a technique that allowed them to make 42 new versions of the antibiotic erythromycin, three of which showed activity against drug-resistant bacteria.
“I was going into it thinking maybe we’d make a fifth of the number [of compounds] we actually made,” said Blaine Pfeifer, a chemical and biological engineer at Buffalo, who led the study.
The bacteria Saccharopolyspora erythraea naturally produces erythromycin, but like many antibiotic-producing organisms, S. erythraea doesn’t make the best laboratory strain. ...
