A sponge playing in defence

Artistic view of an RNA sponge in action. (Image: Imma Matera (Tipstudio)) - Bacteria are extremely resourceful when it comes to adapting to a given environment. A team of researchers from Würzburg has now discovered a new trick bacteria use: a kind of sponge that absorbs certain messengers. Each year, at least 1.27 million people die from an infection with bacteria that are resistant to standard antibiotics, a study recently published in the journal The Lancet reveals. The authors fear that this number could rise to as many as ten million people by 2050. This makes the hunt for new substances that are effective against resistant bacterial strains more urgent than ever. A potential approach focuses on programmable RNA-based antibiotics.