By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    headphones can create health problems
    The Harmful Health Effects of Using Headphones
    September 24, 2021
    Headache causes
    4 Causes Of Headache You Probably Didn’t Know About
    December 28, 2021
    follow these steps to recover from your injury
    What Steps Should You Take to Recover More Quickly from an Injury?
    April 12, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Cash Transfers: Good for HIV/AIDS Too
    August 9, 2012
    unnecessary medical tests
    Eagerly Awaiting the Death of Defensive Medicine
    September 5, 2013
    Image
    Mobile Health Around the Globe – mHealth Fighting Malnutrition in India
    December 17, 2012
    Latest News
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
    Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
    June 25, 2025
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Nanomedicine Attacks Bacteria Where Antibiotics Cannot
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Technology > Nanomedicine Attacks Bacteria Where Antibiotics Cannot
Technology

Nanomedicine Attacks Bacteria Where Antibiotics Cannot

HerinaAyot
HerinaAyot
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE

IBM and a research group in Singapore have engineered a new kind of synthetic, biodegradable nano particle that could be used to attack bacteria that have become resistant to antibiotics. The researchers believe that the nanomedicine breakthrough could eventually be used to fight infectious diseases better than antibiotics. If it works, the nanomedicine could save countless lives and protect people from illnesses that arise from bacterial infections, like staph. Using a trick from chip manufacturing, the researchers figured out how to isolate certain kinds of cells and attack them. That gets around the problem of many drugs today that kill off the good red blood cells at the same time that they eradicate bad cells. The researchers said the synthetic polymers they created can seek out bacteria cells and destroy their membrane walls. “It’s like a hammer,” said James Hedrick, advanced organic materials scientist at IBM’s Almaden research center in San Jose, Calif. “We target the membrane directly. The overall goal is to have a huge societal impact, with improved ways for drug and gene delivery.” Hedrick, who has worked at IBM for a couple of decades, said his team and another at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in Singapore brought in different approaches. IBM had done work on nanotechnology and semiconductor manufacturing while the Singapore institute worked the medicine. They created new types of polymers that could detect and destroy bacteria and infectious diseases like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, known as MRSA, or staph. Hedrick said the polymers can be built with a great deal of control from organic molecules, which makes them biodegradable. The nano particles are physically attracted to infected cells like a magnet, breaking their membrane walls without destroying healthy cells around them. These agents prevent the bacteria from developing drug resistance by breaking through the cell wall and membrane, a fundamentally different mode of attack compared to antibiotics. MRSA is a type of dangerous bacteria that is commonly found on the skin and easily contracted in places like gyms, schools and hospitals where people are in close contact. In 2005, MRSA was responsible for nearly 95,000 serious infections, and associated with almost 19,000 hospital stay-related deaths in the United States. Hedrick said that decades of learning about chip materials has helped the team, which has worked on the problem at least five years, to figure out how to craft nano structures that can be injected directly into the body or applied to the skin. The nanomedicine could, for instance, be put into anti-bacterial soap, deodorant, hand sanitizer or lotion. It could help heal wounds, tuberculosis, and lung infections. Our immune systems are designed to protect us from harmful substances, both inside and out, but conventional antibiotics are often rejected by the body or have a limited success rate in treating drug-resistant bacteria. But the new materials can work because they change themselves once they come into contact with water in the body or on its surface. The material self-assembles into a new polymer structure that is electrostatically attracted to the bacteria membranes. The polymers then break through the cell membranes, destroying the cell. The bacteria can’t adapt to this kind of physical attack. Fortunately, cells have a natural electric charge. The polymers are drawn only to infected areas. Other antimicrobial materials aren’t biodegradable, but these new materials are made of simple organic molecules. That means they can naturally exit the body, in contrast to other medicines that gather in the body and cause side effects. The lead collaborator at the Singapore group was Yiyan Yang. The new polymers were tested against clinical microbial samples at a medical hospital at Zhejiang University in China. Clinical trials and plenty of other work have to be done before the nanomedicine will be commercially available. “It’s still a work in progress and is in the early stages,” Hedrick said. “The results are extraordinarily promising at this stage.” Source

TAGGED:bacteriamedical technology
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

9 Lifestyle Tweaks That Can Add Years to Your Life
9 Healthcare Lifestyle Tweaks That can Add Years to Your Life
lifestyle
July 11, 2025
car accident lawsuit
Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
Policy & Law
July 6, 2025
women dental care
What Is a Smile Makeover and How Much Does It Cost?
Dental health
June 30, 2025
HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps
Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
June 25, 2025

You Might also Like

Image
GeriatricsHospital AdministrationMedical EducationPublic HealthTechnology

Person-Centered HealthCare: At-Home Care is Key

March 8, 2013
biopharma beat
DiagnosticsHome HealthMedical InnovationsMobile HealthPolicy & LawPublic HealthSocial Media

Biopharma Beat: Patient Engagement Throughout the Drug Development Lifecycle

April 9, 2015
eHealthTechnology

How Technology Affects Doctor-Patient Relationship?

July 18, 2018

Disruptive Innovation or “Woo”?

December 15, 2014
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?