Researchers Discover New Antibiotic Lariocidin with Novel Resistance-Fighting Mechanism

The lasso peptide, identified in soil bacteria, offers a groundbreaking approach to combating drug-resistant infections and marks the first new antibiotic class in nearly 30 years.

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.