Overview

• Lariocidin, a newly discovered antibiotic molecule, disrupts bacterial protein synthesis in a way that prevents resistance development.
• The molecule, produced by Paenibacillus bacteria, was found in a soil sample from a backyard in Hamilton, Canada, after a year-long screening process.
• Lariocidin has demonstrated effectiveness against drug-resistant bacteria in laboratory and animal models and is non-toxic to human cells.
• This discovery addresses the urgent global health crisis of antimicrobial resistance, which causes millions of deaths annually.
• Researchers are now focused on optimizing lariocidin and scaling up production to prepare for clinical trials.