Drills

Bacteria may be great at developing resistance to our best drugs, but there are some things they can’t evolve their way out of – like tiny drills ripping them open. Researchers at Rice University have now demonstrated their next generation molecular drills that can be activated by blue light and could revolutionize the fight against superbugs.Bacteria adapt quickly to changes in their environment, and unfortunately that includes antibiotics. Some of the bugs will naturally have mutations that allow them to survive the…

The membranes of infectious bacteria are no match for molecular machines developed at Rice University. The machines are activated by visible light and drill into bacteria, killing them. The drills could also break down the microorganisms’ evolved resistance to antibiotics by letting the drugs in. Credit: Tour Research Group/Rice UniversityMolecular machines that kill infectious bacteria have been taught to see their mission in a new light.New nanoscale drills have been developed that are effective at killing bacteria.…