Browse Topic: Bacteria
Researchers at Tufts School of Engineering have developed a method to detect bacteria, toxins, and dangerous chemicals in the environment with a biopolymer sensor that can be printed like ink on a wide range of materials — including wearables
For many patients waiting for a donor heart, the only way to live a decent life is with the help of a pump attached directly to their heart. This pump requires about as much power as a TV, which it draws from an external battery via a seven-millimeter-thick cable. The system is handy and reliable, but it has one big flaw: despite medical treatment, the point at which the cable exits the abdomen can be breached by bacteria
Developed by engineers at the University of Bath, the prototype LoCKAmp device uses innovative Lab-on-a-Chip technology and has been proven to provide rapid and low-cost detection of COVID-19 from nasal swabs. The research team said the technology could easily be adapted to detect other pathogens such as bacteria — or even conditions like cancer
A novel surgical implant developed by Washington State University researchers was able to kill 87 percent of the bacteria that cause staph infections in laboratory tests, while remaining strong and compatible with surrounding tissue like current implants
Researchers have developed an integrated microfluidic chip (BSI-AST chip) for rapid AST from positive blood cultures (PBCs). Using the chip, the process from bacteria extraction to getting AST results takes less than 3.5 hours, thus promising to be a powerful new tool in managing bloodstream infections
Scientists have developed a device that works with a smartphone or tablet to capture medical images that can identify infected wounds. By capturing the heat produced by a wound and the fluorescence of bacteria, it helps clinicians tell the difference between inflammation and a potentially dangerous infection. This could allow for quicker intervention, catching infections before they become serious threats to health
Engineering researchers have developed a next-generation miniature lab device that uses magnetic nano-beads to isolate minute bacterial particles that cause diseases
A research team has designed a new microneedle patch to offer a highly effective nonantibiotic approach for the treatment of skin infection. In brief, the design engineered with ultrasound-responsive zinc-based metal-organic framework (MOF) antibacterial nanoparticles promises pain-free delivery to treat bacterial infection on skin tissue and facilitate skin repair at the same time. The team was led by Prof. Kelvin Yeung Wai-kwok, department of orthopaedics and traumatology, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong (HKUMed). The novel microneedle is around 50 μm in diameter, similar to a typical hair. The findings have been published in Science Advances
Penn State researchers have developed a low-cost, RNA-based technology to detect and measure biomarkers, which can help decode the body’s physiology. The presence of protein biomarkers can indicate chronic or acute conditions, from arthritis to cancer to bacterial infections, for which conventional tests can cost anywhere from $100 to upwards of $1,000. The new technology can perform the same measurement for about a dollar
Researchers have pioneered a 3D printable ink that contains Sporosarcina pasteurii: a bacterium that, when exposed to a urea-containing solution, triggers a mineralization process that produces calcium carbonate (CaCO3). The ink — dubbed BactoInk — can be used to 3D print virtually any shape, which will then gradually mineralize over the course of a few days
If a chemical spill in a river goes unnoticed for 20 minutes, it might be too late to remediate. Living bioelectronic sensors developed by a team of researchers at the Rice University can help. A team led by Rice synthetic biologists Caroline Ajo-Franklin and Jonathan (Joff) Silberg and lead authors Josh Atkinson and Lin Su, both Rice alumni, have engineered bacteria to quickly sense and report on the presence of a variety of contaminants. Their study in Nature shows the cells can be programmed to identify chemical invaders and report within minutes by releasing a detectable electrical current
If you can scare off water, you can scare off pathogens. That’s the logic behind the bacteria- and virus-shedding plastic wrap created by Leyla Soleymani, a professor of engineering physics and biomedical engineering at McMaster University, and Tohid Didhar, a mechanical and biomedical engineer there
This column presents technologies that have applications in commercial areas, possibly creating the products of tomorrow. To learn more about each technology, see the contact information provided for that innovation
Researchers used liquid gallium to create an antiviral and antimicrobial coating and tested it on a range of fabrics including facemasks. The coating adhered more strongly to fabric than some conventional metal coatings and eradicated 99 percent of several common pathogens within five minutes. Metallic surface coatings, such as copper or silver, are an effective way to eradicate pathogens but many metal particle coating technologies have issues such as non-uniformity, processing complexity, or poor adhesion
A team led by Mingming Wu, professor of biological and environmental engineering in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, created cell-size robots that can be powered and steered by ultrasound waves. Despite their tiny size, these micro-robotic swimmers — whose movements were inspired by bacteria and sperm — could one day be a formidable new tool for targeted drug delivery
The Portable EnGineered Analytic Sensor with aUtomated Sampling (PEGASUS) is a miniaturized waveguide-based optical sensor that can detect toxins, bacterial signatures, viral signatures, biothreats, white powders, and more from samples such as blood, water, food, and animal samples
The interiors of nonflowering trees, such as pine and ginkgo, contain sapwood lined with straw-like conduits known as xylem that draw water up through a tree’s trunk and branches. Xylem conduits are interconnected via thin membranes that act as natural sieves, filtering out bubbles from water and sap
Among the many avenues that viruses can use to infect humans, drinking water may pose only a tiny risk for spreading certain viruses like the novel coronavirus. But in cases where there is unauthorized wastewater disposal or other events of inadvertent mixing of wastewater with water sources, the possibility of transmission through drinking water remains unknown
The World Health Organization describes antibiotic-resistant bacteria as one of the greatest threats to global health. The specially designed hydrogel works against all types of bacteria including antibiotic-resistant ones
In a photocatalytic air purifier system, the catalyst that cleans the air is typically titanium dioxide and it is energized by ultraviolet (UV) light. When UV light shines on the titanium dioxide, electrons (negatively charged particles inside atoms) are released at its surface. The electrons interact with water molecules (H2O) in the air, breaking them up into hydroxyl radicals (OH·), 9which are highly reactive, short-lived, uncharged forms of hydroxide ions (OH−). These small, agile hydroxyl radicals then attack bigger organic (carbon-based like virus) pollutant molecules, breaking apart their chemical bonds and turning them into harmless substances such as carbon dioxide and water. Current investigation uses the above principle to kill living organic germs, bacteria; pathogen, etc. from the cabin air in recirculation mode. A HVAC system has been developed by using a filter impregnated by titanium di-oxide (TiO2) with UV lights to improve and maintain cabin air quality. The developed
Researchers have developed a self-cleaning surface that can repel all forms of dangerous bacteria. The new plastic surface — a treated form of conventional transparent wrap — can be shrink-wrapped onto door handles, railings, IV stands, and other surfaces that can be magnets for bacteria such as MRSA and C. difficile. The treated material is also ideal for food packaging, where it could stop the accidental transfer of bacteria such as E. coli, salmonella, and listeria from raw chicken, meat, and other foods
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