Nature Nanotech. doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.275 (2008)

The antibiotic vancomycin kills bacteria by disrupting their cell walls. To study this process, Rachel McKendry of University College London and her colleagues have designed an array of tiny cantilevers coated with molecules similar to those found in bacterial cell walls.

When their arrays were exposed to vancomycin, the antibiotic bound to the cantilevers, altered their surface properties, and caused them to bend. Measuring the bend provided a sensitive assay for antibiotic binding. The researchers also used these data to calculate how surface stress caused by antibiotic binding percolates through membranes, eventually causing cells to burst. They hope that the new method will speed the search for weapons against antibiotic-resistant 'superbugs'.