British scientists are engineering superbug-beating medications to fight off killer infections

British scientists hope to combat ‘superbugs’ by harnessing the body’s natural ability to fight off infections.

The innovative method of tackling often deadly bacteria such as MRSA and clostridium difficile is particularly important because the bugs have evolved to build up an immunity to many current antibiotics.

The new class of superbug-busting medication works by mimicking the methods developed by the human body over millions of years to protect itself from infection.

Dr Deborah O’Neill, whose firm NovaBiotics, based in Aberdeen, has identified a number of anti-microbial drugs, said: ‘On the whole, the mechanisms the body uses to fight bacteria are the best blueprint. They are an untapped resource for engineering new [drug] compounds.’

One of the drugs is called Lynovex, which experts think reverses the resistance of some bacteria to existing antibiotics. 

It is being tested on people with the inherited lung disease cystic fibrosis, who produce large quantities of mucus which leads to coughing fits, breathing problems and serious lung infections.

Patients are usually given a two-week course of antibiotics, but are prone to developing resistant bacteria. In an early-stage trial, those given Lynovex in addition to the usual antibiotics felt significantly better.

‘We noticed in some patients, some bugs went from being drug-resistant to drug-sensitive – some of the MRSA stopped being resistant,’ said respiratory consultant Professor Graham Devereux.

Dr O’Neill explained that Lynovex ‘shuts down the bacteria’s ability to form biofilms’, a sticky layer used by bugs to protect themselves.

The scale of the so-called ‘antibiotic apocalypse’ is daunting. With no new classes of antibiotics approved since 1987, the UN predicts superbugs could cause 10 million deaths a year around the world by 2050 unless new treatments are found.