This research investigates how MRSA loses its antibiotic resistance by shedding the SCCmec genetic element. Environmental stressors such as heat and dryness increase this vulnerability, while antibiotics alone reinforce resistance. Understanding these mechanisms could enable new strategies to reverse resistance and improve treatment options for life-threatening MRSA infections.

This research searches for new antibiotics in deep-sea sponge bacteria that have evolved for 580 million years to defend their hosts. By growing these never-before-seen microbes and testing them against superbugs like MRSA, the project aims to discover urgently needed antibiotics to combat rising antimicrobial resistance.