A drug under clinical trials to treat tuberculosis could be the basis for a class of broad-spectrum drugs that act against various bacteria, fungal infections and parasites, yet evade resistance, according to a study by University of Illinois chemists.

Researchers determined the different ways the drug SQ109 attacks the tuberculosis bacterium, how the drug can be tweaked to target other pathogens from yeast to malaria – and how targeting multiple pathways reduces the probability of pathogens becoming resistant. SQ109 is made by Sequella Inc, a pharmaceutical company.