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2w ago

AI Pinpoints Target of New IBD Antibiotic Enterololin, Speeding Development

The project now moves toward clinical development through a university spinout.

By using AI to sift through more than 10,000 molecules, researchers found enterololin (inset), a compound that blocks a key pathway in harmful gut bacteria and, in mice with IBD, eased infection without disturbing the rest of the microbiome.
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Overview

  • Researchers from McMaster and MIT report enterololin, a narrow‑spectrum antibiotic that suppresses Enterobacteriaceae linked to Crohn’s flare‑ups while sparing much of the gut microbiome in mouse models.
  • MIT’s DiffDock predicted binding to the essential lipoprotein‑transport complex LolCDE, and McMaster experiments confirmed the mechanism via resistant mutants, RNA profiling, and targeted gene perturbation.
  • The AI‑guided approach cut mechanism‑of‑action work to roughly six months at around $60,000, compared with typical timelines of 18–24 months and costs in the millions.
  • The team publicly released sequencing datasets and posted the DiffDock‑L code on GitHub to enable independent validation and broader use.
  • Stoked Bio licensed enterololin and is optimizing it for human use, with derivative testing extending to pathogens such as Klebsiella and clinical trials projected within the next few years if development succeeds.