Antibiotics upgraded to tackle superbugs

Loading player...
Antibiotics are such an important part of modern medicine but their effectiveness has been waning in the last few decades as certain bacteria, so called superbugs, have become resistant to multiple common antibiotics, leading to the UN declaring that antimicrobial resistance is one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity. To tackle this issue, new approaches are needed and as new strains of antibiotics are hard to come by, one option is to modify existing antibiotics to make them more effective. Verner Viisainen spoke to Jennifer Payne from Monash University to find out... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
11 Nov 2021 English United Kingdom Science

Other recent episodes

What climate change does to kelp forests

In this episode, how climate change impacts kelp forests, selecting for less animal-friendly variants, refining AI models for better water infrastructure design, classifying extinct marine megafauna and when best to swim with them, the coast consequences of climate change, and why a better understanding of the planet's drylands is critical…
2 Apr 32 min

Personalised medicine, droughts, and dryland research

Personalised medicine and gene screens for disease, why dinosaurs disappeared, planning for droughts, and new vistas in the drylands arena... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
24 Dec 2024 31 min

Evolving flu, and the desert decomposition conundrum

Predicting how influenza viruses will evolve, how deserts decompose matter despite the dry, what worms are revealing about a gene linked to autism, and what makes mice fearful of cat smells. Dr Chris Smith talks to the authors of the latest leading research in eLife... Like this podcast? Please help…
20 Dec 2024 30 min

Cancer mood control, and birth products blocking pain

This month, signs that cancers communicate with the brain to alter mood, why antibodies are unreliable in research, evidence that social training can cut stress and boost brain volume, and agents derived from birth products that suppress inflammation and kill pain... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the…
31 Oct 2024 33 min

Future cancer care, and the cost of large animal extinction

In this episode, why approaches to cancer care need a pro-active approach in future, the opportunities arising for the cancer vaccine space, competency-based medical training, the environmental costs of losing large animals, and why water resilience needs careful planning now... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked…
24 Oct 2024 36 min