Short Wave These bacteria may be key to the fight against antibiotic resistance
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Feb 9, 2026 Nathalie Balaban, biophysicist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem known for work on bacterial persistence, explains new findings about dormant bacteria. She describes chaotic, 'car crash' dormancy and how stress-induced dormancy helps bacteria survive. The conversation highlights leakier membranes in these cells and the idea of pairing treatments to target both growing and dormant populations.
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Dormant Cells Evade Antibiotics
- Antibiotics kill growing bacteria but usually fail against dormant cells called persisters.
- Persister cells survive treatment by arresting growth and can later regrow and cause relapse.
Dormancy Accelerates Resistance
- Dormancy protects bacteria from many stresses and was long seen as a passive survival state.
- Balaban's team found that dormancy can accelerate the evolution of antibiotic resistance when cells recover.
The Car Crash Metaphor
- Balaban compares accidental dormancy to a car crash that stops growth rather than an intentional pause.
- This 'crash' protects bacteria from antibiotics because non-growing cells evade drug action.