IBM and The Institute of Bioengineering and
Nanotechnology develop new antimicrobial hydrogel to
fight superbugs and drug-resistant biofilms:
applications range from protective coating to
sterilize hospital surfaces and medical equipment or
as an injection to more effectively treat patients.
Researchers from IBM (NYSE: IBM) and the Institute
of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology revealed today
an antimicrobial hydrogel that can break through
diseased biofilms and completely eradicate
drug-resistant bacteria upon contact. The synthetic
hydrogel, which forms spontaneously when heated to
body temperature, is the first-ever to be
biodegradable, biocompatible and non-toxic, making
it an ideal tool to combat serious health hazards
facing hospital workers, visitors and patients.
Traditionally used for disinfecting various surfaces,
antimicrobials can be found in traditional household
items like alcohol and bleach. However, moving from
countertops to treating drug resistant skin
infections or infectious diseases in the body are
proving to be more challenging as conventional
antibiotics become less effective and many household
surface disinfectants are not suitable for
biological applications.
IBM Research and its collaborators developed a
remoldable synthetic antimicrobial hydrogel,
comprised of more than 90% water, which, if
commercialized, is ideal for applications like
creams or injectable therapeutics for wound healing,
implant and catheter coatings, skin infections or
even orifice barriers.
Able to colonize on almost any tissue or surface,
microbial biofilms - which are adhesive groupings of
diseased cells present in 80% of all infections -
persist at various sites in the human body,
especially in association with medical equipment and
devices. They contribute significantly to
hospital-acquired infections, which are among the
top five leading causes of death in the United
States and account for up to $11 billion in
healthcare spending each year.
Despite advanced sterilization and aseptic
techniques, infections associated with medical
devices have not been eradicated. This is due, in
part, to the development of drug-resistant bacteria.
According to the CDC, antibiotic drug resistance in
the U.S. costs an estimated $20 billion a year in
healthcare costs as well as 8 million additional
days spent in the hospital.
[_private/vid/salute/IBM-IBN-antimicrobial-hydrogels .htm]
Through the precise tailoring of polymers,
researchers designed macromolecules, a molecular
structure containing a large number of atoms, which
combine water solubility, positive charge, and
biodegradability characteristics. When mixed with
water and heated to body temperature the polymers
self-assemble, swelling into a synthetic gel that is
easy to manipulate. This highly desirable capability
stems from self-associative interactions that create
a “molecular zipper” effect. Analogous to how zipper
teeth link together, the short segments on the new
polymers also interlock, thickening the water-based
solution into re-moldable and compliant hydrogels.
Since they exhibit many of the characteristics of
water-soluble polymers without being freely
dissolved, such materials can remain in place under
physiological conditions while still demonstrating
antimicrobial activity.
“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
James Hedrick, Advanced Organic Materials Scientist,
IBM Research, “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.”
When applied to contaminated surfaces, the
hydrogel’s positive charge attracts all negatively
charged microbial membranes, like powerful
gravitation into a blackhole. However, unlike most
antibiotics and hydrogels, which target the internal
machinery of bacteria to prevent replication, this
hydrogel kills bacteria by membrane disruption,
precluding the emergence of any resistance.
“We were driven to develop a more effective therapy
against superbugs 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, multi-pronged attack on
drug-resistant biofilms which would help to improve
medical and health outcomes,” said Dr Yi-Yan Yang,
Group Leader, Institute of Bioengineering and
Nanotechnology, Singapore.
The IBM nanomedicine polymer program - which started
in IBM’s Research labs only four years ago with the
mission to improve human health – stems from decades
of materials development traditionally used for
semiconductor technologies. This advance will expand
the scope of IBM and IBN’s collaborative program,
allowing scientists to simultaneously pursue
multiple methods for creating materials to improve
medicine and drug discovery. An industry and
institute collaboration of this scale brings
together the minds and resources of several leading
scientific institutions to address the complex
challenges in making practical nanomedicine
solutions a reality.
For more information
IBM
Angewandte Chemie
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/%28ISSN%291521-3773
(MDN)
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