Canadian Scientists Discover a New Powerful Antibiotic: Lariocidin

Canadian scientists have discovered a microorganism that naturally produces a new powerful antibiotic called lariocidin. This discovery is promising not only because it has an entirely new mechanism of action but also because early laboratory tests have shown it to be effective against resistant bacteria and non-toxic. Published in the journal Nature, the discovery comes from a backyard in Hamilton and is the work of experts from McMaster University, led by Gerry Wright.

This breakthrough brings fresh hope after years of stagnation, as the last time a new class of antibiotics reached the market was nearly three decades ago.

Lariocidin: What It Is and How It Works

Lariocidin is produced by a type of soil bacterium called Paenibacillus. Wright explained that this molecule, a peptide, is a strong candidate to challenge even some of the most resistant bacteria on the planet because it attacks germs differently from other antibiotics. It binds directly to the protein synthesis machinery of infectious agents, inhibiting their ability to grow and survive.

To discover lariocidin, the research team allowed the bacteria collected from the soil to grow in the laboratory for about a year. This method enabled them to detect slow-growing species that might otherwise have gone unnoticed. One of these bacteria, Paenibacillus, produced a new substance with strong activity against other bacteria, including those typically resistant to antibiotics.

Additionally, lariocidin is not susceptible to existing antibiotic resistance mechanisms and has shown effectiveness in an animal infection model. The next step will be to produce the molecule in sufficient quantities to allow for clinical development.

The discovery of this entirely new class of antibiotics addresses the critical need for new antimicrobial drugs, as bacteria and other microorganisms continue to evolve new ways to resist existing medications. This phenomenon, known as antimicrobial resistance (AMR), is one of the leading global public health threats, according to the World Health Organization.