Cow Enzyme Fights Superbugs: A Breakthrough in Antibiotic Resistance

In a world increasingly threatened by bacteria that shrug off our most powerful medicines, the rise of “superbugs” is a chilling reality. One such formidable adversary is Klebsiella pneumoniae, a bacterium often found in hospitals that can cause severe infections like pneumonia and meningitis. The World Health Organization has labeled it a “critical threat pathogen,” … Read more

New biotherapeutic protects gut microbiome from harmful effects of antibiotics

Definition of antibiotics

A team of scientists at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) collaborated to develop a live biotherapeutic product (eLBP) that, when given together with commonly used antibiotics, protects the gut microbiome from adverse disturbance. 

MIT scientists engineer bacterial strains that shield gut from effects of antibiotics

Definition of antibiotics

Antibiotics are helpful for treating bacterial infections, but their life-saving treatment effects come at the cost of ‘good’ gut microbes. To make matters worse, antibiotic treatment has increased the risk of being drug-resistant and developing inflammatory infections later on in life. To reduce the downside of antibiotics, researchers from MIT have devised bacterial strains that work to protect the gut.