Antibiotics have changed human health and revolutionised medical practice since the Second World War. Today, the use of antibiotics is increasingly limited by the rise of antimicrobial-resistant strains. Additionally, broad-spectrum antibiotic activity is not adapted to maintaining a balanced microbiome essential for human health. Targeted antimicrobials could overcome these two drawbacks. Although the rational design of targeted antimicrobial molecules presents a formidable challenge, in nature, targeted genetically encoded killing molecules are used by microbes in their natural ecosystems. The use of a synthetic biology approach allows the harnessing of these natural functions. In this commentary article we illustrate the potential of applying synthetic biology towards bacteriocins to design a new generation of antimicrobials.

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在合成生物学时代，抗菌肽会成为下一代抗生素吗？

自第二次世界大战以来，抗生素改变了人类健康，并彻底改变了医学实践。如今，抗生素的使用越来越受到耐药菌菌株的限制。另外，广谱抗生素活性不适于维持对人体健康至关重要的平衡微生物组。靶向抗菌药可以克服这两个缺点。尽管靶向抗菌分子的合理设计提出了巨大挑战，但实际上，微生物在其自然生态系统中使用的是靶向遗传编码的杀伤分子。使用合成生物学方法可以利用这些自然功能。在这篇评论文章中，我们说明了将合成生物学应用于细菌素以设计新一代抗菌剂的潜力。