Tag Archives: MRSA

Bacteria and an anti-superbug coating from Ireland’s Sligo Institute of Technology

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Unlike today’s (April 28, 2016) earlier piece about dealing with bacteria, the focus for this research is on superbugs and not the bacteria which form biofilm on medical implants and such. An April 21, 2016 news item on RTE News makes the announcement about a new means of dealing with superbugs,

A discovery by a team of scientists in Ireland could stem the spread of deadly superbugs predicted to kill millions of people worldwide over the coming decades.

The research has found an agent that can be baked into everyday items like smart-phones and door handles to combat the likes of MRSA and E. coli.

The nanotechnology has a 99.9 % kill rate of potentially lethal and drug-resistant bacteria, they say.

Lead scientist Professor Suresh C. Pillai, of Sligo Institute of Technology’s Nanotechnology Research Group, says the discovery is the culmination of 12 years work.

“This is a game changer,” he said.

“This breakthrough will change the whole fight against superbugs. It can effectively control the spread of bacteria.”

An April 21, 2016 Sligo Institute of Technology press release provides some context for the work and a few details about the coating,

News of the discovery comes just days after UK Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne warned that superbugs could become deadlier than cancer and are on course to kill 10 million people globally by 2050.

Speaking at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington, Mr Osborne warned that the problem would slash global GDP by around €100 trillion if it was not tackled.

Using nanotechnology, the discovery is an effective and practical antimicrobial solution — an agent that kills microorganisms or inhibits their growth — that can be used to protect a range of everyday items.

Items include anything made from glass, metallics and ceramics including computer or tablet screens, smartphones, ATMs, door handles, TVs, handrails, lifts, urinals, toilet seats, fridges, microwaves and ceramic floor or wall tiles.

It will be of particular use in hospitals and medical facilities which are losing the battle against the spread of killer superbugs.

Other common uses would include in swimming pools and public buildings, on glass in public buses and trains, sneeze guards protecting food in delis and restaurants as well as in clean rooms in the medical sector.

…

“It’s absolutely wonderful to finally be at this stage. This breakthrough will change the whole fight against superbugs. It can effectvely control the spread of bacteria,” said Prof. Pillai.

He continued: “Every single person has a sea of bacteria on their hands. The mobile phone is the most contaminated personal item that we can have. Bacteria grows on the phone and can live there for up to five months. As it is contaminated with proteins from saliva and from the hand, It’s fertile land for bacteria and has been shown to carry 30 times more bacteria than a toilet seat.”

The research started at Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT)’s CREST and involves scientists now based at IT Sligo, Dublin City University (DCU) and the University of Surrey. Major researchers included Dr Joanna Carroll and Dr Nigel S. Leyland.

It has been funded for the past eight years by John Browne, founder and CEO of Kastus Technologies Ltd, who is bringing the product to a global market. He was also supported by significant investment from Enterprise Ireland.

As there is nothing that will effectively kill antibiotic-resistant superbugs completely from the surface of items, scientists have been searching for a way to prevent the spread.

This has been in the form of building or ‘baking’ antimicrobial surfaces into products during the manufacturing process.

However, until now, all these materials were toxic or needed UV light in order to make them work. This meant they were not practical for indoor use and had limited commercial application.

“The challenge was the preparation of a solution that was activated by indoor light rather than UV light and we have now done that,” said Prof Pillai.

The new water-based solution can be sprayed onto any glass, ceramic or metallic surface during the production process, rendering the surface 99.9 per cent resistant to superbugs like MRSA, E. coli and other fungi. [emphasis mine]

The solution is sprayed on the product — such as a smartphone glass surface — and then ‘baked’ into it, forming a super-hard surface. The coating is transparent, permanent and scratch resistant and actually forms a harder surface than the original glass or ceramic material.

The team first developed the revolutionary material to work on ceramics and has spent the last five years adapting the formula – which is non-toxic and has no harmful bi-products ‑- to make it work on glass and metallic surfaces.

Research is now underway by the group on how to adapt the solution for use in plastics and paint, allowing even wider use of the protective material.

Prof Pillai, Kastus and the team have obtained a US and a UK patent on the unique process with a number of global patent applications pending. It is rare for such an academic scientific discovery to have such commercial viability.

“I was sold on this from the first moment I heard about it. It’s been a long road to here but it was such a compelling story that it was hard to walk away from so I had to see it through to the end,” said John Browne, Kastus CEO.

He continued: “This is a game changer. The uniqueness of antimicrobia surface treatment means that the applications for it in the real world are endless. The multinational glass manufacturers we are in negotiations with to sell the product to have been searching for years to come up with such a solution but have failed.”

If the coating kills 99.9%, doesn’t that mean 0.1% are immune? If that’s the case, won’t they reproduce and eventually establish themselves as a new kind of superbug?

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Highly Efficient F, Cu doped TiO2 anti-bacterial visible light active photocatalytic coatings to combat hospital-acquired infections by Nigel S. Leyland, Joanna Podporska-Carroll, John Browne, Steven J. Hinder, Brid Quilty, & Suresh C. Pillai. Scientific Reports 6, Article number: 24770 (2016) doi:10.1038/srep24770 Published online: 21 April 2016

This paper is open access.

MMA (mixed martial arts) and nano silver wound dressings

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I had never, ever expected to mention mixed martial arts (MMA) here but that’s one of the delightful aspects of writing about nanotechnology; you never know where it will take you. A March 9, 2015 news item on Azonano describes the wound situation for athletes and a new product,

..

As an MMA Champion athlete, Rich Franklin knows all too well about germs and how easily they spread. During training he dealt with them on a regular basis, but it wasn’t until the first time he had staph, did he realize these infections could cost him a victory. Now, working in a global setting, Franklin trains in locations around the world which leaves him exposed to a plethora of bacteria and fungi. So he teamed up with American Biotech Labs (ABL) to develop Armor Gel, nano silver-based, wound dressing gel that can stay active on the skin for up to seventy-two hours (3 days). Using patented nano silver technology, Armor Gel has been scientifically tested to reduce the levels of bacteria and other pathogens, while forming a protective barrier “armor” over the wound. By shielding the body from external bacterial, the body’s natural healing process can be expedited. Its use is recommended by doctors, trainers, coaches, and athletes alike.

A March 6, 2015 ABL news release on BusinessWire, which originated the news item, provides a little more detail about Armor Gel,

Engineered for today’s modern athletes, Armor Gel is safe, nontoxic and provides a personal first line of defense. Already proven to reduce the levels of MRSA, VRE, pseudomonas aeruginosa, E. coli, A. niger and Candida albicans, Armor Gel is formulated using a unique and patented 24 SilverSol Technology®.

American Biotech Labs (ABL) was started in 2002 as a nano silver biotech company with the goal of creating a more stable and powerful silver technology for consumer products. …

I am providing a link to the product website (neither the link nor this post are endorsements), you can find out more about Armor Gel here.

Armor Gel was announced previously in a Sept. 16, 2014 ABL news release on PR Newswire, At the time no mention was made of Rich Franklin, their MMA athlete,

American Biotech Labs, LLC, is pleased to announce the availability of three new silver hydrogel wound-dressing products.  The new products will allow American Biotech Labs (ABL) to market in the wound-care market focusing on ultimate sports and fitness, spa and health, and animal markets.

The new over-the-counter (OTC) products will have wound-dressing claims for minor cuts, lacerations, abrasions, 1st and 2nd degree burns, and skin irritations.  The products also have pathogen-inhibiting barrier claims against pathogens, such as Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, MRSA and VRE, as well as fungi, such as Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger.  These new gels can provide a barrier that will help protect wounds for 24 to 72 hours.

The new products will be found under the names of Armor Gel™ (for the ultimate sports and fitness market), ASAP OTC™ (for the spa and health markets), and ASAP Pet Shield® (for the animal market).

Along with the release of these new products, ABL has formed a strategic alliance with Stuart Evey, founder and former chairman of ESPN, and Gary Bernstein, marketing executive and professional photographer and film maker.  ABL will utilize these talented individuals to help introduce these revolutionary new products to high-profile organizations in sports, pet stores, fashion and beauty, medical, and direct-marketing areas, etc.

Said Keith Moeller, ABL Director, “We are very grateful to the numerous top scientists, labs and universities that have helped move this amazing, patented, silver technology forward.  We believe that these products have the ability to impact the future of wound management worldwide.”

Note: Any statements released by American Biotech Labs, LLC that are forward looking are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  Editors and investors are cautioned that forward looking statements invoke risk and uncertainties that may affect the company’s business prospects and performance.

You can find out more about ABL and its entire product line here.

Sharklet’s sharkskin-like material

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It’s one of my favourite technologies but there hasn’t been much talk about Sharklet for the last few years. My Feb. 10, 2011 posting about it had this,

They used sharkskin as an example for making a ‘smarter’ material. Scientists have observed that nanoscale structures on a shark’s skin have antibacterial properties. This is especially important when we have a growing problem with bacteria that are antibiotic resistant. David Pogue’s (the program host) interviewed scientists at Sharklet and highlighted their work producing a plastic with nanostructures similar to those found on sharkskin for use in hospitals, restaurants, etc.  I found this on the Sharklet website (from a rotating graphic on the home page),

The World Health Organization calls antibiotic resistance a leading threat to human health.

Sharkjet provides a non-toxic approach to bacterial control and doesn’t create resistance.

The reason that the material does not create resistance is that it doesn’t kill the bacteria (antibiotics kill most bacteria but cannot kill all of them with the consequence that only the resistant survive and reproduce). Excerpted from Sharklet’s technology page,

While the Sharklet pattern holds great promise to improve the way humans co-exist with microorganisms, the pattern was developed far outside of a laboratory. In fact, Sharklet was discovered via a seemingly unrelated problem: how to keep algae from coating the hulls of submarines and ships. In 2002, Dr. Anthony Brennan, a materials science and engineering professor at the University of Florida, was visiting the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Oahu as part of Navy-sponsored research. The U.S. Office of Naval Research solicited Dr. Brennan to find new antifouling strategies to reduce use of toxic antifouling paints and trim costs associated with dry dock and drag.

The most recent news from Sharklet comes in a Sept. 16, 2014 news release on EurekAlert which refines the definition for Sharklet and provides research about the latest research on this material,

Transmission of bacterial infections, including MRSA and MSSA could be curbed by coating hospital surfaces with microscopic bumps that mimic the scaly surface of shark skin, according to research published in the open access journal Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control.

The study modelled how well different materials prevented the spread of human disease bacteria through touching, sneezes or spillages. The micropattern, named Sharklet™, is an arrangement of ridges formulated to resemble shark skin. The study showed that Sharklet harboured 94% less MRSA bacteria than a smooth surface, and fared better than copper, a leading antimicrobial material. The bacteria were less able to attach to Sharklet’s imperceptibly textured surface, suggesting it could reduce the spread of superbugs in hospital settings.

The surfaces in hospitals and healthcare settings are often rife with bacteria and patients are vulnerable to bacterial infection. Scientists are investigating the ability of different materials to prevent the spread of bacteria. Copper alloys are a popular option, as they are toxic to bacterial cells, interfering with their cellular processes and killing them. The Sharklet micropattern works differently – the size and composition of its microscopic features prevent bacteria from attaching to it. It mimics the unique qualities of shark skin, which, unlike other underwater surfaces, inhibits bacteria, because it is covered with a natural micropattern of tooth-like structures, called denticles.

Dr Ethan Mann, a research scientist at Sharklet Technologies, the manufacturer of the micropattern, says: “The Sharklet texture is designed to be manufactured directly into the surfaces of plastic products that surround patients in hospital, including environmental surfaces as well as medical devices. Sharklet does not introduce new materials or coatings – it simply alters the shape and texture of existing materials to create surface properties that are unfavorable for bacterial contamination.”

The researchers from Sharklet Technologies compared how well two types of infection-causing bacteria, methicillin-resistant or susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA and MSSA), fared at contaminating three surfaces – the Sharklet micropattern, a copper alloy, and a smooth control surface. They created experimental procedures to mimic common ways bacteria infect surfaces. Sneezing was mimicked by using a paint sprayer to spread the bacterial solution on 10 samples of each surface. To mimic infected patients touching the surfaces, velveteen cloth was put in contact with bacteria for 10s, and then placed on another set of each test surface for 10s. A third set of each surface was immersed in bacterial solution for an hour, then rinsed and dried, to mimic spills.

Surfaces were sampled for remaining contaminations either immediately following exposure to MSSA and MRSA or 90 minutes after being exposed. The Sharklet micropattern reduced transmission of MSSA by 97% compared to the smooth control, while copper was no better than the control. The micropattern also harboured 94% less MRSA bacteria than the control surface, while the copper had 80% less.

Dr Mann says: “Shark skin itself is not an antimicrobial surface, rather it seems highly adapted to resist attachment of living organisms such as algae and barnacles. Shark skin has a specific roughness and certain properties that deter marine organisms from attaching to the skin surface. We have learned much from nature in building this material texture for the future.”

Here’s an illustration the researchers have provided,

Caption: This is an image of the Sharklet micropattern, which mimics the denticles of shark skin. Credit: Mann et al.

Caption: This is an image of the Sharklet micropattern, which mimics the denticles of shark skin.
Credit: Mann et al.

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Surface micropattern limits bacterial contamination by Ethan E Mann, Dipankar Manna, Michael R Mettetal, Rhea M May, Elisa M Dannemiller, Kenneth K Chung, Anthony B Brennan, and Shravanthi T Reddy. Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control 2014, 3:28  doi:10.1186/2047-2994-3-28

This is an open access paper.

Sponging up the toxins in your blood

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It doesn’t sound like these nanosponges are going to help you with your hangover but should you have a snakebite, an E. coli infection or other such pore-forming toxin in your blood, engineers at the University of California at San Diego are working on a solution. From the University of California at San Diego Apr. 14, 2103 news release,

Engineers at the University of California, San Diego have invented a “nanosponge” capable of safely removing a broad class of dangerous toxins from the bloodstream – including toxins produced by MRSA, E. coli, poisonous snakes and bees. These nanosponges, which thus far have been studied in mice, can neutralize “pore-forming toxins,” which destroy cells by poking holes in their cell membranes. Unlike other anti-toxin platforms that need to be custom synthesized for individual toxin type, the nanosponges can absorb different pore-forming toxins regardless of their molecular structures. In a study against alpha-haemolysin toxin from MRSA, pre-innoculation with nanosponges enabled 89 percent of mice to survive lethal doses. Administering nanosponges after the lethal dose led to 44 percent survival.

They’ve produced a video about their work,

I like the fact that this therapy isn’t specific but can be used for different toxins (from the news release),

“This is a new way to remove toxins from the bloodstream,” said Liangfang Zhang, a nanoengineering professor at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and the senior author on the study. “Instead of creating specific treatments for individual toxins, we are developing a platform that can neutralize toxins caused by a wide range of pathogens, including MRSA and other antibiotic resistant bacteria,” said Zhang. The work could also lead to non-species-specific therapies for venomous snake bites and bee stings, which would make it more likely that health care providers or at-risk individuals will have life-saving treatments available when they need them most.

Here’s how the nanosponges work (from the news release),

In order to evade the immune system and remain in circulation in the bloodstream, the nanosponges are wrapped in red blood cell membranes. This red blood cell cloaking technology was developed in Liangfang Zhang’s lab at UC San Diego. The researchers previously demonstrated that nanoparticles disguised as red blood cells could be used to deliver cancer-fighting drugs directly to a tumor. …

Red blood cells are one of the primary targets of pore-forming toxins. When a group of toxins all puncture the same cell, forming a pore, uncontrolled ions rush in and the cell dies.

The nanosponges look like red blood cells, and therefore serve as red blood cell decoys that collect the toxins. The nanosponges absorb damaging toxins and divert them away from their cellular targets. The nanosponges had a half-life of 40 hours in the researchers’ experiments in mice. Eventually the liver safely metabolized both the nanosponges and the sequestered toxins, with the liver incurring no discernible damage. [emphasis mine]

It’s reassuring to see that this therapy doesn’t damage as it heals.

For those interested, here’s some technical information about how the nanosponges are created in the laboratory (from the news release),

Each nanosponge has a diameter of approximately 85 nanometers and is made of a biocompatible polymer core wrapped in segments of red blood cells membranes.

Zhang’s team separates the red blood cells from a small sample of blood using a centrifuge and then puts the cells into a solution that causes them to swell and burst, releasing hemoglobin and leaving RBC [red blood cell] skins behind. The skins are then mixed with the ball-shaped nanoparticles until they are coated with a red blood cell membrane.

Just one red blood cell membrane can make thousands of nanosponges, which are 3,000 times smaller than a red blood cell. With a single dose, this army of nanosponges floods the bloodstream, outnumbering red blood cells and intercepting toxins. Based on test-tube experiments, the number of toxins each nanosponge could absorb depended on the toxin. For example, approximately 85 alpha-haemolysin toxin produced by MRSA, 30 stretpolysin-O toxins and 850 melittin monomoers, which are part of bee venom.

In mice, administering nanosponges and alpha-haemolysin toxin simultaneously at a toxin-to-nanosponge ratio of 70:1 neutralized the toxins and caused no discernible damage.

This seems like promising work and, hopefully, they will be testing these nanosponges in human clinical trials soon.

Here’s a link to and a citation for the researchers’ paper,

A biomimetic nanosponge that absorbs pore-forming toxins by Che-Ming J. Hu, Ronnie H. Fang, Jonathan Copp, Brian T. Luk,& Liangfang Zhang. Nature Nanotechnology (2013) doi:10.1038/nnano.2013.54 Published online 14 April 2013

This paper is behind a paywall. (H/T to EurekAlert [Apr. 14, 2013 news release].)

The last time I wrote about nanosponges it was in the context of oil spills in my Apr. 17, 2012 posting.