Scientists develop a potential antibiotic from Komodo dragon blood

Komodo dragon blood may hold the key to tackling the “looming crisis” of antimicrobial resistance, according to scientists behind a potential new antibiotic, DRGN-6.

The synthetic molecule, developed by experts at George Mason University in the United States, was created by combining two genes found in Komodo dragon blood – an endangered species found on five Indonesian islands. 

In preclinical tests DRGN-6 killed carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, a highly drug resistant bacteria which causes a particularly aggressive form of pneumonia.