Biosecurity

DTRA studying synthetic biological means to combat antibiotic resistance

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency's Chemical and Biological Technologies department and researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are studying the potential use of synthetic biological delivery methods against pathogens, they announced Wednesday.

This research aims to provide an alternative to traditional antibiotic methods as certain pathogens develop resistance to current treatments. Their research, lead by James Collins of MIT, focuses on antimicrobial peptides (AMP) that are able to eliminate bacteria without causing secondary issues through lysis.