“Researchers have discovered a new antibiotic molecule that targets a broad range of disease-causing bacteria — even strains resistant to commercial drugs — and is not toxic to human cells.

The molecule was found in soil samples collected from a laboratory technician’s garden. The discovery shows that ‘there is terrifically interesting stuff hiding in plain sight’, says Kim Lewis, a microbiologist at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, who was not involved in the research. ‘Kudos to them that they knew what to look for.’

The latest molecule targets bacteria’s protein-making factory, the ribosome, in a way that other antibiotic drugs don’t. The ribosome is an attractive antibiotic target because bacteria don’t easily develop resistance to drugs targeting the structure, adds Lewis.”

From Nature.