Sanofi’s macrolide antibiotic for TB; organoid-based target discovery for steatosis and more

A team led by Sanofi (Euronext:SAN; NASDAQ:SNY) researchers presented in Cell a structurally optimized macrolide antibiotic for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The compound was developed following the discovery of a naturally occurring series of macrolides called sequanamycins — bacterial ribosome inhibitors with binding characteristics that overcome the inherent resistance of M. tuberculosis to other macrolides.

In mouse models of M. tuberculosis infection, the compound decreased bacterial growth and increased survival when used as a monotherapy, or in combination with other tuberculosis drugs...