Aussie researchers discover star-shaped molecule capable of killing superbugs

Small star-shaped molecules could hold the answer to killing "superbugs" which have built up a resistance to antibiotics, a major Australian study has found.

The University of Melbourne study, published on Tuesday in respected international journal Nature Microbiology, found that manufactured star-shaped polymers dubbed "peptide polymers" were extremely effective at killing antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Greg Qiao, the leader of the study, said the rising threat of superbugs, bacteria that have developed immunity to antibiotics, made the study of utmost importance.

"It is estimated that the rise of superbugs will cause up to 10 million deaths a year by 2050. In addition, there have only been one or two new antibiotics developed in the last 30 years," Qiao said in a media release on Tuesday.

Qiao said his team tested the peptide polymer, developed by the Melbourne School of Engineering, against Gram-negative bacteria, a class of bacteria highly prone to antibiotic resistance.

The bacteria showed no resistance against the peptide polymer, which was able to kill the bacteria in different ways compared to antibiotics which are only capable of killing bacteria one way.

The research team said they believe the multi-faceted attack of the star-shaped polymer was responsible for its superior performance over antibiotics.

Qiao said that the discovery that the polymer was non-toxic to the human body was particularly promising, especially since tests on red blood cells found that the polymer dosage rate would need to be increased by a factor greater than 100 to become toxic.

The research team believes that this discovery is the first step in developing a treatment for superbugs. Endit