Cutting through resistance

Most companies employing CRISPR-Cas9 for therapeutics are using it to edit human cells, but Locus Biosciences Inc. is betting the lesser-known CRISPR-Cas3 system will do a better job of treating bacterial infections and could be the long-sought solution to antibiotic resistance.

The company was launched two years ago to develop an antimicrobial platform that turns bacteria's natural CRISPR-Cas3 defense system against itself to eliminate specific pathogenic species while sparing human cells and the microbiome. ...