octapeptin-x

Octapeptin-X is an engineered cyclic lipopeptide antibiotic from the octapeptin class, developed at the University of Queensland’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience as a potential “last-resort” therapy against multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug‑resistant (XDR) Gram-negative bacteria, including strains resistant to polymyxins such as colistin.[1][4][7][9][12][14] Octapeptins share a heptacyclic peptide core and N-terminal β-hydroxyl fatty acyl tail that enable binding to lipid A in the outer membrane, disrupting the protective cell envelope of Gram-negative pathogens, but they differ structurally and mechanistically from polymyxins and have shown superior activity against polymyxin-resistant isolates with a more favorable preclinical safety profile.[2][3][4][5] Octapeptin-X and related engineered analogues are being advanced with CARB-X funding to be used as standalone agents or as potentiators that permeabilize bacterial membranes and restore the activity of existing generic antibiotics, with a particular focus on low- and middle-income countries where carbapenem- and polymyxin-resistant infections are highly prevalent.[1][7][9][11]

Other names

octapeptin-xOctapeptin X