University of Manchester scientists Jason Micklefield, Colin Smith and colleagues were the first to engineer the biosynthesis of lipopeptide antibiotics in 2002. They have now developed methodologies for altering the structure of the antibiotics, such as mutating, adding and deleting components.

That innovation, they said, provides access to thousands of lipopeptide variants that cannot be produced easily in any other way.

"The results from this work are essential in the development of the next generation of lipopeptide antibiotics, which are critical to combat emerging super bugs that have acquired resistance to other antibiotics," said Micklefield. "The potent activity of this class of antibiotics against pathogens that are resistant to all current antibiotic treatments makes them one of the most important groups of antibiotics available."

He added, "If we are to successfully fight and control potent new super bugs in the future, we need to be developing the next generation of antibiotics now."

The research appears in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.