Genetic “Decoy” System Helps Fight Superbugs

LONDON (Reuters) - A new genetic “decoy” system could revolutionize development of antibiotics to fight drug-resistant superbugs like MRSA and speed their path to market, British scientists said on Monday.

A team from the John Innes Centre, which specializes in plant and microbial science, said they had proven that by taking a short stretch of DNA from a bacterium and delivering it with an existing antibiotic they could switch off drug resistance.

“The DNA sequence acts as a decoy, disrupting gene expression and blocking resistance,” Michael McArthur of the Norwich-based institute said. “We are putting genetic information directly into drugs.”

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