Engineered viruses trick deadly pathogens into self-destructing, promising treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections. Researchers at Northwestern University in the United States successfully induced a deadly pathogen to self- destruct from the inside out.
The research marks a key step toward treating antibiotic- resistant infections. Next, the researchers plan to modify the phage DNA to optimize potential treatments. Ideally, scientists could one day tailor a phage and design "a la carte" therapies with precise characteristics to treat individual infections.