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IBM lab designs molecule to kill drug-resistant superbugs
[Medical Press] As a scientist at IBM's Almaden Research Laboratory, James Hedrick was well aware of the global problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can turn a minor scrape into a death sentence.But the threat turned personal after he had routine knee surgery. Sudden excruciating pain signaled infection, demanding emergency hospitalization. Hedrick was lucky: the medications worked, the infection cleared and he went home eight days later. Hedrick's close call inspired his research team to design a new molecule, called a polymer, that targets five deadly types of drug-resistant microbes and kills them like ninja assassins. Their research, a collaboration with Singapore's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, was reported recently in the journal Nature Communications. If commercialized, the polymer could boost the fight against "superbugs" that can fend off every antibiotic that doctors throw at them. An estimated 700,000 people worldwide die every year from these untreatable infections. Posted by: Besoeker 2018-04-07 |
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