This antibiotic is effective against anthrax, and has no detectable resistance, Northeastern research finds

By Cyrus Moulton March 14, 2025
Man in a blue lab coat, glasses, and blue mask, holds a large science beaker with opaque yellow liquid in it. In the foreground is various other scientific lab equipment.

The antibiotic teixobactin — developed a decade ago by Northeastern University professors Kim Lewis and Slava Epstein in collaboration with university startup NovoBiotic — has already proven itself against MRSA and pneumonia.

Now, anthrax can be added to the list, according to new research published in the journal ACS Infectious Diseases.

“This is the first realistic countermeasure against an engineered bioweapon, since there is no resistance to the drug,” says Lewis, university distinguished professor and director of the Antimicrobial Discovery Center at Northeastern.

Read more from Northeastern Global News.

Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

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