Activating the hidden pharmaceutical potential of bacteria

Microorganisms produce a wide variety of natural products that can be used as active ingredients to treat diseases such as infections or cancer. The blueprints for these molecules can be found in the microbes' genes, but often remain inactive under laboratory conditions. A team of researchers has now developed a groundbreaking genetic method that leverages a natural bacterial mechanism for the transfer of genetic material and uses it for the production of new active ingredients.