Gut Microbes’ Genomes Are a Trove of Potential Antibiotics

The average human gut contains roughly 100 trillion microbes, many of which are constantly competing for limited resources. In that conflict, there may be potential for new antibiotics. New research led by César de la Fuente, PhD, a Presidential Assistant Professor in Psychiatry, Microbiology, Chemistry and Biomolecular Engineering, and Bioengineering, surveyed the gut microbiomes of nearly 2,000 people, discovering dozens of potential new antibiotics. “We think of biology as an information source,” says de la Fuente. “Everything is just code. And if we can come up with algorithms that can sort through that code, we can dramatically accelerate antibiotic discovery.”