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First
Biodegradable Antimicrobial Polymer Nanoparticles
Researchers from IBM and the
Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology discovered
a nanomedicine breakthrough in which new types of polymers
were shown to physically detect and destroy
antibiotic-resistant bacteria and infectious diseases like
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aurous, known as MRSA.
Discovered by applying
principles used in semiconductor manufacturing, these
nanostructures are physically attracted to infected cells
like a magnet, allowing them to selectively eradicate
difficult to treat bacteria without destroying healthy
cells around them. These agents also prevent the bacteria
from developing drug resistance by actually breaking
through the bacterial cell wall and membrane, a
fundamentally different mode of attack compared to
traditional antibiotics.
The human body’s immune system
is designed to protect us from harmful substances, both
inside and out, but for a variety of reasons, many of
today’s conventional antibiotics are either rejected by
the body or have a limited success rate in treating
drug-resistant bacteria.
The antimicrobial agents
developed by IBM Research and the Institute of
Bioengineering and Nanotechnology are specifically
designed to target an infected area to allow for a
systemic delivery of the drug.
Once these polymers come into
contact with water in or on the body, they self assemble
into a new polymer structure that is designed to target
bacteria membranes based on electrostatic interaction and
break through their cell membranes and walls. The physical
nature of this action prevents bacteria from developing
resistance to these nanoparticles.
The electric charge naturally
found in cells is important because the new polymer
structures are attracted only to the infected areas while
preserving the healthy red blood cells the body needs to
transport oxygen throughout the body and combat bacteria.
Unlike most antimicrobial
materials, these are biodegradable, which enhances their
potential application because they are naturally
eliminated from the body (rather than remaining behind and
accumulating in organs).
The antimicrobial polymers
created by IBM Research and the Institute of
Bioengineering and Nanotechnology and were tested against
clinical microbial samples by the State Key Laboratory for
Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, First
Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine and Zhejiang
University in China. The full research paper was recently
published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Chemistry.
(Ref:
http://floridabiotechnews.com/biotech/first-biodegradable-antimicrobial-polymer-nanoparticles/)
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