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 have developed plant-derived nanoparticles that strip MRSA of the adhesive molecules the antibiotic-resistant bacterium uses to stick to tissue and surfaces. By removing these adhesion weapons rather than killing the cells directly, the approach could weaken infections without driving further drug resistance, offering a promising complement to traditional antibiotics against one of the world's most dangerous hospital pathogens.