Key points from article :
Researchers developed an antibacterial hydrogel that can kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Conceived as a wound dressing, and is composed of antimicrobial peptides which are naturally produced by the immune system.
The gel binds the peptides together and protects them, yet allows them to still kill bacteria.
“With these peptides, there is a very low risk for bacteria to develop resistance against them, since they only affect the outermost membrane of the bacteria,” - Martin Andersson, study co-author.
The peptides are highly effective, quite delicate and rapidly degrade when they come into contact with blood.
Researchers discovered a way to protect the peptides while maintaining their efficacy.
They bound the peptides within a protective hydrogel, meaning they degrade much more slowly.
A spin off company called Amferia AB which is working on commercializing the technology.
Study by Chalmers University of Technology published in ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering.
