Researchers from The Francis Crick Institute are using metal complexes and blue light to fight the increasing threat of antimicrobial resistance wherein people no longer respond to existing antibiotics and thus run the risk of succumbing to infections.

Since the development of antibiotics, harmful bacteria that cause infection and disease have discovered ways to evade them. One such way they accomplish this is by altering the proteins on their surface to prevent an antibiotic from binding.

The team explained that using metal complexes that, when activated under blue light, produce highly reactive compounds that destroy the proteins.

Once the proteins are destroyed, the bacteria can once again be killed by the antibiotics, the team explained.

For more on the powder, watch the accompanying video that appears courtesy of The Francis Crick Institute.