A New Golden Age of Antibiotics? Genomics, AI, and Synthetic Biology Power the Hunt

The discovery of penicillin kicked off a century-long gold rush for new antimicrobials. But progress slowed. Now, genomics, synthetic biology, and AI are enabling researchers to delve deeper than ever before into microbial diversity, unearthing novel compounds like mandimycin and lariocidin. This suggests a potential new golden age of antibiotics. However, significant hurdles remain, including the lengthy drug approval process and the pharmaceutical industry's challenges in profiting from antimicrobials.