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@article{Bergum:2026,
author = {Bergum, M and Martin, B and Sutton, M and Moore, S},
journal = {Synthetic Biology},
title = {A liquid handling platform for standardised quantification of cell-free enzymatic activity encoded by antimicrobial resistance genes},
year = {2026}
}
TY - JOUR
AB - Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global threat to human health, and rapid methods for characterising emerging antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) are needed. Here, we develop a semi-automated workflow using cell-free gene expression (CFE) systems to measure the activity of two ARGs encoded on plasmid DNA that produce rifampicin-inactivating and gentamicin-inactivating enzymes. We validated the use of a small benchtop Myra liquid handling system compared to manual pipetting, with no statistical differences observed. After optimising the pre-incubation time of ARGs and dispensing protocol, expression of aac(3)-IIa increased the half-maximal inhibition concentration (IC50) of gentamicin by over 150-fold, while arr-3 increased the IC50 of rifampicin by approximately 20-fold compared to controls. This methodology for rapid, semi-automated ARG characterisation offers a strategy to combat AMR by assessing novel ARGs identified through genomic surveillance or profiling activity of new or derivative antibiotics.
AU - Bergum,M
AU - Martin,B
AU - Sutton,M
AU - Moore,S
PY - 2026///
SN - 1939-7267
TI - A liquid handling platform for standardised quantification of cell-free enzymatic activity encoded by antimicrobial resistance genes
T2 - Synthetic Biology
ER -
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