One brave 18-year-old recently refused to let leukemia get in the way of her early acceptance to Emory University — or her senior prom.  

After multiple rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, she was well on her way to recovery. But then, a “superbug” attacked. Despite her doctors’ best efforts, the drug-resistant infection spread to her lungs and into her bloodstream. Her chemo-weakened immune system couldn’t fight off the infection, and she quickly passed away.    

Sadly, such stories are far too common. Superbugs like this already kill 700,000 people worldwide each year. And that annual toll could rise to 10 million people by 2050, largely because superbugs are evolving faster than we’re creating new treatments. Over the past 30 years, only one new class of antibiotics has been approved.

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