An illustration of viruses called phages infecting a bacterial cell. Researchers have developed a modified strain of Escherichia coli bacteria that is resistant to natural viral infections and has a low risk of escaping into the environment. This breakthrough in genetic engineering and synthetic biology is expected to decrease the risk of viral contamination in the production of medicines and other substances, such as biofuels. Currently, viral infections in bacteria can cause a halt in production, endanger drug safety, and result in high financial costs. Credit: Behnoush Hajian
Researchers create virus-resistant, safely restrained E. coli for medical, industrial applications.
In a step forward for genetic engineering and synthetic biology, researchers have modified a strain of Escherichia coli bacteria to be immune to natural viral infections while also minimizing the potential for the bacteria or their modified genes to escape into the wild.
The work promises to reduce the threats