Story perspectives

New Genetic Technology Cuts Antibiotic Resistance by 100,000x

4/8/2026

Summary

Story summary

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego developed Pro-Active Genetics (Pro-AG) to target antibiotic resistance genes in bacteria without killing them.
In experiments, Pro-AG reduced resistant colonies by more than 1,000-fold, with some colonies becoming 100,000 times less resistant.
The system also produced Homology-Based Deletion, which precisely removes resistance genes.
Hospitals and industrial settings could use this technology to eliminate drug-resistant pathogens.

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Story summary

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego developed Pro-Active Genetics (Pro-AG) to target antibiotic resistance genes in bacteria without killing them.
In experiments, Pro-AG reduced resistant colonies by more than 1,000-fold, with some colonies becoming 100,000 times less resistant.
The system also produced Homology-Based Deletion, which precisely removes resistance genes.
Hospitals and industrial settings could use this technology to eliminate drug-resistant pathogens.