University of Saskatchewan synchrotron fighting antibiotic-resistant bacteria [Video]

University of Toronto researchers used the Canadian Light Source synchrotron, Canada’s only device of its kind, to develop medicinal compounds capable of fighting antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

The Canadian Light Source, a national research facility, is based at the University of Saskatchewan.

Walid Houry, lead researcher and professor at U of T, says his team’s research focuses on addressing the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.

“Because there’s this issue of antibiotic resistance, so many bacteria have been able to develop resistance against currently-used antibiotics. And that’s why there’s an urgent need to develop new antibiotics with a new mechanism of action,” Houry said.

Stations within the synchrotron called beamlines allowed Houry’s team to see the atomic structure of their protein used in the new compounds.

“You put it on that beam line and hit it with x-rays. And then when you hit on the x-rays, there’s a diffraction pattern. There’s a spot …