Researchers at United States-based IBM, along with Singapore’s Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, have developed a nanoparticle drug that shows promise as a weapon against dangerous superbugs that have become resistant to antibiotics. The nanoparticle is designed with a specific electrical charge that is attracted by an opposite charge on the surface of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, and other bacteria. According to James Hedrick, one of the IBM researchers, “It’s like the north pole and the south pole. The particles disrupt the membrane, generate holes in it and empty out” the bacteria. The resulting destruction of the bacteria, the researchers believe, renders them unable to develop resistance to the nanoparticles. MRSA kills about 19,000 people a year in the U.S., and some 53 million people worldwide are believed to be infected with the bug. The nanoparticle is also biodegradable. “The materials are designed to go in there, do their business and go away,” Dr. Hedrick said. The technology must first be tested on animals before it can be tested on humans, and IBM needs to find a drug or other company interested in developing it for market, so any application of the technology is years away. The team’s findings were published online in the journal Nature Chemistry. The article can be viewed online at the link below.<\/p>\n
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Researchers at United States-based IBM, along with Singapore’s Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, have developed a nanoparticle drug that shows […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology-update"],"yoast_head":"\n