A team of researchers from La Trobe University’s Holsworth Biomedical Research Centre is joining an international effort to uncover how dangerous bacteria evolve into drug‑resistant superbugs. The answer may lie in a tiny enzyme called LigE.
Antibiotic resistance threatens essential medical care, from cancer treatment to neonatal health and routine surgeries. As common infections become harder to treat, scientists are racing to understand how bacteria rapidly adapt.
A newly funded collaboration led by Dr Adele Williamson from the University of Waikato, New Zealand, suggests bacteria may be using LigE as a molecular “patch kit,” repairing pieces of DNA they scavenge from their environment—including antibiotic resistance genes. If true, this mechanism could significantly speed up the spread of resistance.
The project is also strengthening ties between Australia and New Zealand. PhD students from New Zealand will travel to Bendigo to work directly on the project, deepening the collaboration and providing hands‑on experience with advanced imaging technologies. Postdoctoral researcher Dr Elizabeth Rzoska‑Smith, who completed her PhD with Dr Williamson before joining Associate Professor Donna Whelan’s laboratory, will lead much of the experimental work.
Associate Professor Donna Whelan and her team at the La Trobe Rural Health School are preparing to use custom‑built super‑resolution microscopes to watch LigE at work inside living bacteria.
“Our microscopes let us watch these molecular events at a scale that was impossible just a few years ago. It has the potential to fundamentally shift how we understand antibiotic resistance,” Associate Professor Whelan said.
These advanced microscopes allow scientists to track molecules at a scale far smaller than the width of a human hair, offering some of the first real‑time imagery of how bacteria interact with DNA during the earliest stages of resistance development.
Beyond the scientific insights, this partnership is building research capability in regional Australia. Early‑career scientists in Bendigo—and incoming trainees from New Zealand—will gain experience in cutting‑edge microscopy, molecular biology and computational analysis, skills critical to Australia’s future biomedical workforce.
By uncovering whether LigE helps bacteria quickly adapt and develop resistance, researchers hope to identify new ways to slow or block the process, helping safeguard the effectiveness of antibiotics for future generations in rural Australia and beyond.
