For inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients, antibiotics can be harmful as they may disrupt beneficial gut microbes. Researchers at MIT and McMaster University have discovered a targeted antibiotic, enterololin, which specifically suppresses harmful bacteria linked to Crohn’s disease, without adversely affecting the microbiome. Utilizing the AI model DiffDock, the team efficiently identified how enterololin interacts with bacterial proteins. This innovative method significantly accelerated the understanding of the drug’s mechanism of action, reducing development time from years to months. In mouse models, enterololin improved recovery times and microbiome stability compared to common antibiotics like vancomycin. The advancement promises to pave the way for new precision antibiotics that minimize collateral damage to helpful gut flora, enhancing patient outcomes. With ongoing development supported by Stoked Bio, enterololin could soon enter clinical trials, offering hope against antimicrobial resistance and improving life quality for IBD patients. This breakthrough emphasizes combining AI and laboratory experiments in drug discovery.
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