Dubos, Rene Jules, doo BAWS or doo BOH, reh NAY zhool (1901-1982), a French-American microbiologist, pioneered in the development of antibiotics, a type of drug used to treat infections. In 1939, Dubos developed tyrothricin, the first commercially produced antibiotic, from a substance made by soil bacteria. His work led other researchers to develop the antibiotics penicillin and streptomycin.