Why Antibiotics Are Failing: IISER Pune Scientists Discover Bacteria's New Survival Secret

2 minutes of readingPuneFebruary 2, 2026 04:08 pm IST

A recent study conducted at the Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, found that Escherichia coli can quickly survive antibiotics by temporarily making extra copies of a key gene. This helps them adapt quickly and can lead to Antibiotic resistance, a major problem worldwide. E. coli is a common intestinal bacteria that can cause urinary tract infections.

“E. Coli bacteria can survive a broad-spectrum antibiotic called trimethoprim by copying a gene called folA, which helps them resist the drug. This increases the amount of protein targeted by the antibiotic and helps the bacteria grow even in the presence of the drug. These extra copies usually disappear, but they give the bacteria time to develop permanent resistance mutations,” Nishad Matange, assistant professor, DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance; Intermediate Scholar, Department of Biology, IISER, told The indian express.

In the IISER study Pune (published in eLife, 2025, funded by DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance), Dr. Nishad showed that bacteria use these temporary increases in gene copy number to survive antibiotic treatment.

“This may be one of the reasons why Antibiotic resistance is spreading very rapidly. “Understanding this process could help slow the evolution of drug resistance,” he said.

Most living organisms have two copies of each gene in their cells (diploid), but bacteria usually have only one copy (haploid). Interestingly, bacteria can temporarily increase the number of copies of certain genes, which helps them adapt quickly, especially to antibiotics.

The study also showed that a bacterial enzyme, the Lon protease, controls the frequency with which these gene copy changes occur. Understanding this process could help improve strategies to detect and combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

The researchers also said it would be important to investigate how frequently these types of gene copy changes occur in clinical strains and whether they play a role as resistance evolves in patients undergoing treatment.

Story continues below this ad.

“Overall, our study shows that gene copy number changes play a key role in how bacteria become resistant to antibiotics. This knowledge could help develop better diagnostic tools and treatment strategies,” added Dr. Nishad.

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a senior editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, he is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism on health, science, environment and research developments. She also has a keen interest in covering women’s issues. Professional Background Education: Gold Medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and Masters in Literature. Author: She is the author of the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, former chief scientist of the WHO. Key Focus: Combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human interest narratives. Awards and Recognitions Anuradha has won several awards including Press Council of India National Award for Excellence in Journalism in Gender Based Reporting Category in 2019 and Laadli Media Award (Gender Sensitivity -2024). She received the Lokmat Journalism Award (Gender Category-2022) and was also shortlisted for the RedInk Awards for Excellence in Journalism-2021. Her first book, At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan, the inaugural Chief Scientist of the World Health Organization, was also nominated in the People’s Choice category of the JK Paper AUTHER Awards. She has also held competitive fellowships including Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious India 2025 cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Featured Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer and Specialty Healthcare “Tata Memorial finds a way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells” (November 26, 2025): Report on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, Diet and Purpose; How a 97-Year-Old Professor Challenges Aging” (November 15, 2025) Report on Professor Gururaj Mutalik, the first head of department at Pune’s BJ Government Medical College, who at 97 attributes his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose 2. Environmental health (“Breathless” series. Pune”) Prolonged exposure to even “moderate” air causes chronic heart, lung and kidney problems” (November 26, 2025) – Part of a research series highlighting that even “safe” pollution levels are harmful to vital organs. “For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was a 6-8% increase in medicine sales” (November 23, 2025) – Using commercial data to demonstrate the direct link between air quality and respiratory diseases in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News “They Didn’t Let Cancer, Diabetes, and Heart Disease Stop Them From Traveling” (December 22, 2025) – A collaborative article featuring survivors sharing practical tips for traveling with chronic illnesses. At age 17, his blood pressure shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study points out why hypertension in children and adolescents doubled between 2000 and 2020” (November 12, 2025) – a report that focuses on a 17-year-old’s hypertensive crisis and reflects the growing global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Infrastructure and Recognition To promote science and communication and gender diversity: IUCAA professor featured in Nature” (November 25, 2025): Covers global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe” (December 3, 2025): A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe had only 1.5 billion years. , one of the first to be seen so far Signature Beat: Health, Science and Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her reporting on COVID-19, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed information on the trials of Covishield and Covaxin. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, and often profiles women researchers who are breaking the “leaky pipeline” in STEM fields. health experts from the institutions.
…Read more

Click here join WhatsApp Express Pune Channel and get a curated list of our stories

Select a plan

Monthly plan

Yearly plan

All plans include

Search for an article