Researchers have discovered a method to breach the tough outer membrane of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is notoriously difficult to treat once it infects a person.
The team bombarded P. aeruginosa with various compounds and used machine learning to identify the physical and chemical traits of molecules that could penetrate the bacterium. By understanding these traits, they converted an existing antibacterial drug, fusidic acid, which was ineffective against P. aeruginosa, into a compound with significant activity.
The study also provides insights into designing new compounds to combat drug-resistant infections caused by P. aeruginosa, a gram-negative bacterium known for its challenging treatment.