The rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has become a global scourge, and researchers across academia and industry are taking novel steps to fight back. As The Wall Street Journal reports, Boston University scientists have discovered that adding trace amounts of silver to a standard vancomycin treatment can help the antibiotic better combat E. coli, and investigators at Merck ($MRK) are developing MK-7655, which targets the bacteria-housed enzyme beta-lactamase in an effort to break down defenses and boost antibiotic efficacy. Story