antibiotic resistance

The University of Kansas has been awarded a $5.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to fund research into antibiotic resistance. The funding will support efforts to combat drug-resistant bacteria, a growing global health threat that undermines the effectiveness of existing antibiotics and is a rising focus of biomedical research worldwide.

Researchers report that an extract from a plant native to Brazil's Cerrado savanna can restore the effectiveness of antibiotics against drug-resistant bacteria, known as superbugs. The finding suggests the extract works alongside existing antibiotics, offering a possible new lead in the fight against antimicrobial resistance, a growing global health threat.

Researchers report that nanoparticles derived from plants can strip MRSA of the adhesive weapons the antibiotic-resistant bacterium uses to cling to tissue, offering a potential new way to fight infections without conventional antibiotics. The approach targets bacterial adhesion rather than killing the microbes directly, a strategy seen as promising amid rising antimicrobial resistance.