Researchers at the University of Colorado in Boulder have developed a genetic disruption strategy that stops the evolution of a “superbug.”
Superbugs, those pathogens that are resistant to drugs, infect nearly 2 million people annually in the United States – killing 23,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
“In an effort to develop a sustainable long-term solution, CU Boulder researchers created the Controlled Hindrance of Adaptation ofOrganismS (CHAOS) approach, which uses CRISPR DNA editing techniques to modify multiple gene expressions within the bacteria cells, stunting the pathogen’s central processes and thwarting its ability to evolve defenses,” a news release about the study said.
The process began five years ago when the researchers began examining for genes that could act as a “cellular kill switch for E. coli.
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