Biofilms News and Research

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Super bugs “supercharging” on the International Space Station

Researchers and microbiologists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory NASA, had found that there were five different types of Enterobacter present in the toilets and exercise areas on the ISS.

29 Nov 2018

Microbiologists uncover how antibiotics help spread resistance

Bacteria can become insensitive to antibiotics by picking up resistance genes from the environment. Unfortunately for patients, the stress response induced by antibiotics activates competence, the ability of cells to take up and integrate foreign DNA, in microorganisms.

27 Nov 2018

Slime in showerheads could harbour dangerous lung bacteria finds study

A study has shown that the showerheads contain slime that can be home to potentially dangerous bacteria which lead to severe lung disease. Mycobacterial bacteria are responsible for lung diseases explain experts.

4 Nov 2018

Exploring potential health risks of microplastic particles for humans

The Austrian Federal Environment Agency and the Medical University of Vienna have presented the first preliminary results of a pilot study on microplastics (microplastic particles) in humans.

1 Nov 2018

Researchers develop new way to detect hidden urinary tract infections

Researchers in infection biology have developed a new way to detect hidden urinary tract infections. The research was led by Professor Agneta Richter-Dahlfors, head of the Swedish Medical Nanoscience Center at Karolinska Institutet and published in NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes.

26 Oct 2018

New tool may shed light on how to grow replacement tissues and organs for implants

From "Fantastic Voyage" to "Despicable Me," shrink rays have been a science-fiction staple on screen. Now chemists at The University of Texas at Austin have developed a real shrink ray that can change the size and shape of a block of gel-like material while human or bacterial cells grow on it.

24 Oct 2018

Probiotic/antibiotic combination could eradicate drug-resistant bacteria

In the fight against drug-resistant bacteria, MIT researchers have enlisted the help of beneficial bacteria known as probiotics.

17 Oct 2018

Synspira’s abstracts accepted for presentation at the 32nd Annual NACFC

Synspira, a privately held company developing a new class of inhaled glycopolymer-based therapeutics for the treatment of pulmonary disease, today announced that three abstracts have been accepted for presentation at the 32nd Annual North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference, occurring October 18-20 in Denver, CO.

12 Oct 2018

Researchers identify molecule that plays key role in bacterial communication, infection

Carnegie Mellon University researchers have identified a molecule that plays a key role in bacterial communication and infection.

12 Oct 2018

Yale researchers discover how deadly biofilms develop

By severely curtailing the effects of antibiotics, the formation of organized communities of bacterial cells known as biofilms can be deadly during surgeries and in urinary tract infections. Yale researchers have just come a lot closer to understanding how these biofilms develop, and potentially how to stop them.

5 Oct 2018

Novel method promises to reduce production costs for potent form of vitamin K

In an innovative study that promises to reduce production costs for the most potent form of vitamin K -- Menaquinone-7, Penn State researchers have developed a novel method to enhance the fermentation process that creates the supplement by agitated liquid fermentation in a biofilm reactor.

3 Oct 2018

New system harnesses power of bubbles to destroy dangerous biofilms

Stiff microbial films often coat medical devices, household items and infrastructure such as the inside of water supply pipes, and can lead to dangerous infections.

20 Sep 2018

AmpliPhi receives positive feedback from FDA for its AB-PA01 product targeting P.aeruginosa infections

AmpliPhi Biosciences Corporation, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on precisely targeted bacteriophage therapeutics for antibiotic-resistant infections, today announced that the company has received positive feedback, via written response, from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding its development plans for AB-PA01, without the need for a Type B Pre-IND meeting.

19 Sep 2018

Weak antibiotic concentrations sufficient to increase antimicrobial resistance in laboratory conditions

Microbial communities are equipped with effective defense mechanisms against antibiotics. Existing antimicrobial resistance may become increasingly prevalent on its own - with no interference from antibiotics - in compact bacterial communities known as biofilms, or when protozoa hunt bacteria for food.

5 Sep 2018

Wound healing work presented at the RCP Innovation in Medicine Conference 2018 by Neem Biotech

Neem Biotech recently attended the Royal College of Physicians’ Innovation in Medicine Conference 2018 where Neem presented their data around wound-relevant biofilms.

From Neem Biotech 23 Aug 2018

Innovation in Wound Care

There are many definitions of hard-to-heal. More conventionally, it's based on underlying etiology of the wound, but in practice it's any wound that has not healed within a timely fashion. This is often due to a lack of coordinated care.

From Neem Biotech 22 Aug 2018

ASU joins with Mayo Clinic to move blue clays closer to medical use

Researchers at Arizona State University and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, have found that at least one type of blue clay may help fight disease-causing bacteria in wounds, including antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The findings appear in the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents.

21 Aug 2018

Clay may help fight disease-causing bacteria in wounds

The use of mud or wet clay as a topical skin treatment or a poultice is a common practice in some cultures and the concept of using mud as medicine goes back to earliest times.

21 Aug 2018

Catalytic nanoparticles can effectively prevent tooth decay

Combine a diet high in sugar with poor oral hygiene habits and dental cavities, or caries, will likely result.

1 Aug 2018

Softening agents added to drinking water may amplify risk of pathogen release

Many city drinking water systems add softening agents to keep plumbing free of pipe-clogging mineral buildup. According to new research, these additives may amplify the risk of pathogen release into drinking water by weakening the grip that bacteria - like those responsible for Legionnaires' disease - have on pipe interiors.

26 Jul 2018