Antibiotic resistance is a global health crisis. McbBCD, a natural antibiotic, produces an enzyme called microcin B17, which kills E.coli, using an operating mechanism until now unknown. Advances in genomics and protein purification have now permitted uncovering the involved molecular machinery, empowering future design of new antibiotics, antimicrobials and potentially anticancer drugs.
The digitisation of biology and chemistry, and the use of powerful supercomputing is accelerating the scientific understanding of molecular machinery, which is expected to empower the creation of new tools for solving some of the world’s most challenging problems.