Description

Global health is threatened by the growing number of antibiotic-resistant pathogens that could cause millions of deaths annually in the coming decades. Recent research has developed promising novel lipopeptide antibiotics through semisynthetic modification of natural product antibiotics. Initial results indicate that these new semisynthetic lipopeptide antibiotics may prove effective because they have a greater capacity to retain potency in the presence of antibiotic resistance. The EU-funded VOILA project aims to validate the safety and efficacy of these novel lipopeptides using advanced in vivo models. It will also analyse their marketability. Ultimately, the project could lead to the commercial availability of antibiotics that are effective at fighting dangerous pathogens.