Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become one of the world’s most serious health threats, according to the World Health Organization. But scientists have discovered a new antibiotic that could change the game.

The compound, called pre-methylenomycin C lactone, is 100 times more potent than its original form, methylenomycin A, and may help save some of the estimated 1.1 million people who die each year from drug-resistant infections.

A New Weapon Against Superbugs

Researchers from the University of Warwick in the U.K. and Monash University in Australia found that the compound is highly effective against two of the most dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Enterococcus faecium (VRE).

“These bacteria are responsible for some of the most difficult-to-treat hospital infections,” said Greg Challis, professor of sustainable chemistry at the University of Warwick and Monash University.

A Discovery Hidden in Plain Sight

The finding was somewhat accidental. While studying how methylenomycin A — a known antibiotic discovered 50 years ago — is made, researchers uncovered a hidden step in its production process. That step created pre-methylenomycin C lactone, an intermediate compound that turned out to be far more powerful.

“Methylenomycin A was originally discovered 50 years ago, and while it has been synthesized several times, no one appears to have tested the synthetic intermediates for antimicrobial activity,” explained Challis.

“By deleting biosynthetic genes, we discovered two previously unknown intermediates, both of which are much more potent antibiotics than methylenomycin A itself,” he added.

Hope for the Future

The discovery marks a promising advance in the global battle against antimicrobial resistance. AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, and parasites evolve to resist the drugs designed to kill them, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of severe illness or death.

The newly discovered antibiotic will next undergo preclinical testing, a step that could pave the way for new treatments targeting infections that no longer respond to conventional drugs.

“This finding opens the door to developing new generations of antibiotics that can outsmart resistant bacteria,” said researchers.

If successful, pre-methylenomycin C lactone could represent one of the most significant breakthroughs in antibiotic development in decades — offering hope in the fight against the world’s growing superbug crisis.