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Anewly designed artificial intelligence tool based on the structure of the brain has identified a molecule capable of wiping out a number of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, according to a study published on February 20 in Cell. The molecule, halicin, which had previously been investigated as a potential treatment for diabetes, demonstrated activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis, and several other hard-to-treat microbes.
The discovery comes at a time when novel antibiotics are becoming increasingly difficult to find, reports STAT, and when drug-resistant bacteria are a growing global threat. The Interagency Coordination Group (IACG) on Antimicrobial Resistance convened by United Nations a few years ago released a report in 2019 estimating that drug-resistant diseases could result in 10 million deaths per year by 2050. Despite the urgency in the search for new antibiotics, a lack of financial incentives has caused pharmaceutical companies ...
