KBSI-Chosun University-Chungbuk University Joint Research
A domestic research team has embarked on the development of treatments for superbugs using natural antimicrobial substances derived from leeches.
Lee Seong-soo, a principal researcher at the Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI), along with Professor Shin Song-yeop from Chosun University’s College of Medicine and Professor Cho Sung-jin from Chungbuk University’s Department of Biology, announced on the 25th that they have discovered new antimicrobial substances from the salivary glands of medicinal leeches using artificial intelligence (AI). The results of this research were published on the 13th in the international journal ‘Advanced Science.’
Superbugs are high-risk bacteria that can cause infectious diseases and arise due to the overuse of antibiotics. Current treatments are ineffective, creating an urgent need for the development of new alternative therapeutic substances.
The research team focused on medicinal leeches for a solution. Medicinal leeches inject various components, including hirudin, a protein with anticoagulant properties, when they feed. The team used AI to predict 19 new candidate natural antibiotic substances from the salivary glands of medicinal leeches. They then analyzed these candidates for structural stability, antimicrobial efficacy, and anti-inflammatory properties. These candidate substances were applied to live superbugs, and their antibacterial effects were observed in real-time using 3D holotomography technology, which allows for the observation of cell structures.
While traditional holotomography technology could analyze only one substance at a time, this research introduced a high-speed analytical technology (ODT-HTS) that enables simultaneous analysis of multiple substances, verifying antimicrobial effects from discovery to confirmation. The research also evaluated whether these substances could remove biofilms, protective barriers formed by superbugs.
The experiment showed that three substances had actual antimicrobial effects, with ‘Hirunipin 2’ demonstrating the most remarkable performance. The researchers visually confirmed the substance’s ability to inhibit superbug survival and destroy biofilms using 3D video imaging.
Principal researcher Lee Seong-soo remarked, “This study is an innovative research that suggests the possibility of developing resistant bacteria treatments by combining domestic natural resource databases with domestic 3D holotomography technology. It will be widely used in the development of new antibiotics and superbug research in the future.”
Reference Material
Advanced Science (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202409803