A Stinky Frog Facilitates the Development of Synthetic Antibiotics

Throughout their evolution, frogs have developed remarkable defenses—including previously unreported antibiotics—against the hordes of bacteria that thrive in their moist environments. Variants of these compounds may one day protect humans from drug-resistant pathogens. New findings from César de la Fuente, PhD, a Presidential Associate Professor in Psychiatry, Microbiology, Bioengineering, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Chemistry, detail the creation of synthetic peptides, a class of antibiotics, derived from the secretions of a frog commonly found in South Asia.