Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland | Natural Compound from Soil Bacteria Opens Up a New Approach to Treating Drug-Resistant TB

23 September 2026

Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland news release

According to the World Health Organization, more than 10 million people contract TB each year — one of the deadliest infectious diseases worldwide. Treatment is lengthy and typically involves a combination of several antibiotics over many months. Particularly problematic are drug-resistant strains, against which the antibiotics used are only partially effective. New active compounds capable of overcoming existing resistance are therefore urgently needed.

An international team led by the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), the Institut Pasteur and Université Paris Cité has now demonstrated that the natural compound corramycin has a previously unknown effect against the TB pathogen and attacks it in a novel way.

The researchers published their findings in the journal Advanced Science.

Read the full news release here.

Source: Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland