But the researchers anticipate the findings could also benefit the general population. Initially, the research will be used to help soldiers heal quickly and protect them from bioweapons. The research received funding from a $7.5 million grant from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) to discover new compounds that could defeat antibiotic resistant bacteria. The original antibiotic penicillin was discovered in this way.”ĭRGN-1 was found to promote healing in mice infected with antibiotic resistant bacteria and the researchers hope it will pave the way for new approaches in tackling antibiotic resistant bacteria like MRSA. “The search for antibiotics has always involved looking in the natural world for new molecules. “Over hundreds of millions of years of evolution, nature has explored a greater range and diversity of antimicrobial peptides and antibacterial mechanisms than we can hope to explore in the laboratory,” Bishop said.

The researchers say although their work focuses on evolutionarily ancient animals like the Komodo dragon, taking inspiration from nature is not a new approach in developing medicine. Read more: Venom from fanged fish could become new pain medication » And thirdly, DRGN-1 peptide helps the wound to close faster and thus promotes wound healing,” van Hoek told Healthline. Second, it has an antibiofilm effect against the biofilm produced by those bacteria - both of these things help remove the bacteria from the wound. First, it is antibacterial to the bacteria that were infecting the wound. The researchers then rearranged the peptide’s amino acids (a sort of molecular building block) to create a synthetic version of the dragon’s natural peptide that is stronger and more stable. One in particular caught their attention due to its antimicrobial properties. The researchers found more than 200 peptides.

Peptides are protein-like molecules and can act on the front line of the body’s innate immune system. The researchers, which also included Monique van Hoek, PhD, an associate professor in the School of Systems Biology, sorted through hundreds of peptides in the blood of a Komodo dragon.

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