We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
INTEGRA BIOSCIENCES AG

Download Mobile App




Antimicrobial Hydrogels Dissolve and Sterilize Drug-Resistant Biofilms

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 04 Feb 2013
Synthetic antimicrobial hydrogels have been developed that demonstrate 100% efficiency in destruction of biofilms, with application potential for catheter and medical device coatings, implants, skin, and everyday surfaces.

Bacterial biofilms, which are adhesive groupings of pathogenic cells present in 80% of all infections, develop on the skin and on medical devices and household surfaces where they are difficult to treat and demonstrate high resistance to antibiotics. More...


In the current study, which was published in the January 7, 2013, issue of the journal, Angewandte Chemie, investigators at IBM (San Jose, CA, USA) and the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (Singapore) described the development of biodegradable and injectable/moldable hydrogels with hierarchical nanostructures. These 90% aqueous hydrogels were made from specifically designed macromolecules containing a large number of atoms, which combined water solubility, positive charge, and biodegradability characteristics. When mixed with water and warmed to body temperature the polymers self-assembled, swelling into a synthetic gel that was easy to manipulate.

The hydrogels were shown to possess broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities and biofilm-disruption capability. Furthermore, they demonstrated no cytotoxicity in vitro, and displayed excellent skin biocompatibility in animals.

"This is a fundamentally different approach to fighting drug-resistant biofilms. When compared to capabilities of modern-day antibiotics and hydrogels, this new technology carries immense potential,” said Dr. James Hedrick, advanced organic materials scientist at IBM. “This new technology is appearing at a crucial time as traditional chemical and biological techniques for dealing with drug-resistant bacteria and infectious diseases are increasingly problematic.”

“We were driven to develop a more effective therapy against super bugs due to the lethal threat of infection by these rapidly mutating microbes and the lack of novel antimicrobial drugs to fight them. Using the inexpensive and versatile polymer materials that we have developed jointly with IBM, we can now launch a nimble, multipronged attack on drug-resistant biofilms which would help to improve medical and health outcomes,” said Dr. Yi-Yan Yang, group leader at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology.

Related Links:
IBM
Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology


Gold Member
Veterinary Hematology Analyzer
Exigo H400
Verification Panels for Assay Development & QC
Seroconversion Panels
New
Epstein-Barr Virus Test
Mononucleosis Rapid Test
New
Silver Member
H-FABP Assay
Heart-Type Fatty Acid-Binding Protein Assay
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








Channels

Clinical Chemistry

view channel
Image: The GlycoLocate platform uses multi-omics and advanced computational biology algorithms to diagnose early-stage cancers (Photo courtesy of AOA Dx)

AI-Powered Blood Test Accurately Detects Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer ranks as the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women, largely due to late-stage diagnoses. Although over 90% of women exhibit symptoms in Stage I, only 20% are diagnosed in... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: The cancer stem cell test can accurately choose more effective treatments (Photo courtesy of University of Cincinnati)

Stem Cell Test Predicts Treatment Outcome for Patients with Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer

Epithelial ovarian cancer frequently responds to chemotherapy initially, but eventually, the tumor develops resistance to the therapy, leading to regrowth. This resistance is partially due to the activation... Read more

Pathology

view channel
Image: AI-analyzed images from the FDM microscope show platelet clumps in motion (Photo courtesy of Hirose et al CC-BY-ND)

AI Microscope Spots Deadly Blood Clots Before They Strike

Platelets are small blood cells that act as emergency responders in the body, rushing to areas of injury to help stop bleeding by forming clots. However, sometimes platelets can overreact, leading to complications.... Read more

Technology

view channel
Image: The new algorithms can help predict which patients have undiagnosed cancer (Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock)

Advanced Predictive Algorithms Identify Patients Having Undiagnosed Cancer

Two newly developed advanced predictive algorithms leverage a person’s health conditions and basic blood test results to accurately predict the likelihood of having an undiagnosed cancer, including ch... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.