The development of new antibiotics to treat superbugs and other bacterial infections is a global priority, with the rate of infections that cannot be treated with current antibiotics rising and presenting one of the biggest threats to human health.

In line with that, new research has shown a daily dose of epidermicin NI01 – an antibiotic compound developed by University of Plymouth spinout company Amprologix – is as effective at removing Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as the current standard of care.

The results were achieved through a robust skin MRSA infection model, and those behind the research say it justifies further pre-clinical development. In particular, they plan to advance tests exploring whether the compound can be incorporated within gel-type therapies that can be applied to the skin.

Such treatments could be used to treat skin infections caused by MRSA and other bacteria on everything from accidental cuts to surgical wounds, preventing the need for prolonged courses of current antibiotics.

Mathew Upton, professor of medical microbiology at the University of Plymouth and chief scientific officer at Amprologix, will present the latest findings at ESCMID Global 2025, the Congress of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Running April 11-15, and taking place in Vienna, it will be attended by an audience of leading experts in infectious diseases and clinical microbiology.

Upton said, “At the moment, there are antibiotics that can be used to treat skin infections caused by MRSA and other Staphylococcus strains, but these can come with a number of unpleasant side effects. There is also increased resistance to these treatments in many bacteria, meaning that therapies can fail. Our intention would be to continue to use these standard treatments for the more serious MRSA/Staphylococcus infections, like those in the bloodstream, but to develop other ways of treating more superficial infections, for example on the skin. The results we have achieved so far in our tests are very encouraging. They are a clear sign that epidermicin NI01 has the potential to be an effective treatment in this setting, and we now plan to scale up our work and get to a position where we can commence human clinical trials.”

Source: University of Plymouth