diff --git a/backend/server.js b/backend/server.js
index 2141c47..9472bcf 100644
--- a/backend/server.js
+++ b/backend/server.js
@@ -39,9 +39,12 @@ app.get('/api/search', async (req, res) => {
       return res.json([]);
     }
     
+    // Escape special regex characters to allow literal search
+    const escapedQuery = query.replace(/[.*+?^${}()|[\]\\]/g, '\\$&');
+    
     // Search by family name (case-insensitive)
     const matches = await Family.find({
-      family: { $regex: query, $options: 'i' }
+      family: { $regex: escapedQuery, $options: 'i' }
     }).select('-__v -createdAt -updatedAt');
     
     res.json(matches);