Antibiotics are now enhanced by IBM research after developing a new macromolecule that could counter antibiotic resistance. According to Techcrunch's latest report, there are other diseases that may cause other persistent and grave health crises lurking beside the novel coronavirus pandemic. One of these is "antibiotic resistance" that is currently on the rise, leading to "superbugs" that are continuously increasing, making it more difficult to treat.
IBM Research develops new macromolecule that could counter antibiotic resistance https://t.co/hoUC2NlfKV #mrahmedserougi pic.twitter.com/qQD5qPoLcp — Ahmed Serougi (@ahmed_serougi) July 21, 2020
A synthetic macromolecule polymer was developed by the IBM Research in partnership with Singapore's Insitute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology. The newly developed macromolecule could potentially be used to improve the efficiency of antibiotics, giving them the ability to neutralize the superbugs.
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The academic Journal of Advanced Sciences published the results of the study. The findings of the IBM researchers were detailed in the published paper, stating that antibiotics, which are used to treat non-resistant strains of infection, can be combined with the macromolecule polymer.
How does the newly developed synthetic macromolecule polymer works?
According to IBM Research Blog, a new strategy is important to increase antibiotic potency and reverse drug resistance to mitigate antibiotic resistance, since studies and research on how to improve the medicine have a run-dry way back in the 1980s. The availability of new drugs fails to keep up, while many diseases and viruses are going stronger, including the new novel coronavirus.
This ampoule of penicillin dates to 1941 when the antibiotic was first used. Until then, bacterial infectious diseases could spread to pandemic proportions. Now diseases like typhus can be treated with antibiotics reducing their ability to spread.#MuseumMonday #RPSmuseum pic.twitter.com/q4dShSKV1q — Royal Pharmaceutical Society (@rpharms) July 20, 2020
IBM Research is looking to resolve this issue by developing a new macromolecule. It works by attaching itself to the enzymes modified by the invading bacteria or virus when treated with antibiotics, but not completely eliminated.
This is one reason why doctors require their patients to take the full course of the antibiotics and not miss a single day of treatment. If the disease or virus infecting the individual is not cured completely, there's a chance that it might rebound, developing a resistance to overcome the antibiotics you will use again.
The new macromolecule will prevent the bacterias from developing resistance to counter antibiotics and increase the efficiency of the drugs. However, the report clarified that the study is relatively early research that has been conducted in a highly controlled laboratory. This means that it still needs more development and testing before it could be used in the real world. It also needs proper clinical trials involving human patients to prove its effectiveness.
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