James Island, SC - South Carolina scientists may be on the brink of an amazing medical breakthrough that could eventually face off against the super bug. It could change the way we treat antibiotic resistant, and often deadly, bacterial infections like MRSA. 

“Out of some bad stuff in the marine environment, we think we may have found something useful," according to local scientist Peter Moeller.

Scientists traveled to the Caribbean to discover why so many coral reefs are dying. What they found instead was a compound strong enough to fight off some of the most deadly bacterial infections seen in human beings. 

Scientists isolated the compound from the thriving sponge. What they found was a compound that was originally discovered in the late 1990s by scientists searching for anticancer chemicals. Back then it was overlooked. Today, scientists think they may have hit an underwater jackpot.

”We have yet to have a failure. We have yet to find resistant bacteria. We're limited only by our imagination in what we're going to get out of the ocean for human health. It's a big world out there."

Three different groups of scientists are working on that compound. Two of them are right here in the Palmetto State.

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