Scientists Create Nanoparticles That Help Antibiotics Kill Drug-Resistant Bacteria

[ScienceRocks]

Scientists Create Nanoparticles That Help Antibiotics Kill Drug-Resistant Bacteria



http://www.msn.com/e...ID=ansmsnnews11

Imagine a small nanobot injected into your bloodstream that travels through organs, identifies dead or dying cells, and eliminates them, effectively curing a disease. Does that sound too far-fetched? Researchers have recently taken significant steps in implementing nanoscience in medicine.

The scientists from the University of Colorado, Boulder, have engineered nanoparticles, which can produce chemicals that make drug-resistant bacteria more susceptible to antibiotics, shortening the length of treatment. These bots are fundamentally quantum dots, which are capable of producing a chemical that makes the pathogen more reactive to the tried and tested antibiotics.

This study, published in the journal, Science Advances, could help combat superbugs that tend not to respond to a standard antibiotic treatment, increasing the treatment time and severity of methods of treatment.

Quantum dots were already seen as a future tool in medical research, diagnosis, and treatment. They were being developed as a tool to trace the location of diseases in the body for a more targeted medicating approach. They have also been used to make microscopic cameras to go into the body and send back high-resolution images of organs and organ systems to help doctors test faster and with more accuracy.


These quantum dots are just very small pieces of cadmium telluride. They are about 3 nanometers across, and as wide as a single strand of DNA.

I just thought i'd post some real science that is making our world a better place! This board needs it.