Visit our website
New America Cypbersecurity Initiative
New America Cypbersecurity Initiative
MIT Technology Review
MIT Technology Review
io9
io9
Techdirt
Techdirt
Knowledge@Wharton
Knowledge@Wharton
Bioscience Technology
Bioscience Technology
redOrbit
redOrbit
Technology & Marketing Law Blog
Technology & Marketing Law Blog
Popular Science Blog
Popular Science Blog
Pew Research Center
Pew Research Center
Genomics Law Report
Genomics Law Report
Science 2.0
Science 2.0
The Guardian Headquarters
The Guardian Headquarters
Genetic Literacy Project
Genetic Literacy Project
Disclaimer

Statements posted on this blog represent the views of individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Center for Law Science & Innovation (which does not take positions on policy issues) or of the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law or Arizona State University.

Bacteria v. Bacteria

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria is causing world-wide health problems but a recent breakthrough may be health-care’s best defense in the fight against the rise and spread of drug-resistant bacteria.  The discovery involves a novel process for extracting bacteria-fighting bacteria from soils and generating a potent drug from the extracted bacteria.   One such drug, teixobactin, has proven very effective in animal experiments and, unlike many antibiotics, works in manner that makes it unlikely bacteria will develop a resistance to it.  However, scientists caution enthusiasm should be kept in check as teixobactin has yet to be tested in humans and even if successful in clinical trials, will not be available on the market for a few years.  Nonetheless, some measure of optimism is warranted based on a 2014 CDC report that antibiotic-resistant bacteria infects approximately two million people a year, killing  23,000.