Baylor College of Medicine researchers reported in Science that antibiotics can trigger protein sharing between bacterial populations, enhancing survival of persister cells during treatment. Using a genetic tracking system in Escherichia coli, the team showed that antibiotic pressure induces differentiation into protein-receiving and vesicle-producing groups, enabling dormant-like persisters with reduced protein synthesis to acquire proteins from neighbors. The phenomenon also occurred between different E. coli strains and across species. The findings expand the framework beyond gene-based resistance and suggest new targets for antibiotic stewardship and next-generation therapies aimed at preventing persistence rather than only killing actively growing cells.