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New catheter infection alert system could help tackle life-threatening urinary infections

A new infection alert system in catheters could prevent serious infections in millions of hospital patients worldwide. The system, detailed in a new paper in Biosensors and Bioelectronics, changes the color of the urine so patients and carers can see easily if bacteria are starting to block the catheter.

25 Apr 2016

New clinical data highlights potential of AB-PA01 to treat P. aeruginosa infections in CF patients

AmpliPhi Biosciences Corporation, a global leader in the development of bacteriophage-based antibacterial therapies to treat drug-resistant infections, presented data at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases summarizing both the in vitro and in vivo activity of its proprietary, investigational phage mix AB-PA01.

13 Apr 2016

SymCel joins global initiative to combat antibiotic resistance

Following the global and joint initiative by the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and diagnostics industries this year to combat antibiotic resistance, demand for innovative solutions is especially high. The event took place in January at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

5 Apr 2016

NTU researchers make breakthrough to tackle growing concern of antibiotic resistance

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore have discovered that antibiotics can continue to be effective if bacteria's cell-to-cell communication and ability to latch on to each other are disrupted.

2 Apr 2016

Novel method uses light-activated nanodrug to help fight antibiotic-resistant infections

A research team led by University of Arkansas chemist Jingyi Chen and University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences microbiologist Mark Smeltzer has developed an alternative therapeutic approach to fighting antibiotic-resistant infections.

2 Apr 2016

New research shows bacterial biofilms are stronger than single-celled bacteria

New research from the University of Copenhagen reveals that bacteria which agglutinate before entering the body are far more resistant than single-celled bacteria. This may be the cause of chronic infections.

24 Mar 2016

Automated techniques could dramatically accelerate antimicrobial discovery

The antimicrobial arsenal that we count on to save millions of lives each year is alarmingly thin--and these microbes are rapidly evolving resistance to our weapons. But help may be on the way: In a study posted in the AMB Express, researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology show that automated techniques commonly used to screen new drugs for mammalian cell toxicity could also dramatically speed up the challenging task of antimicrobial discovery.

17 Mar 2016

Researchers discover potentially-pathogenic bacteria in water supply pipes

The human microbiome, a diverse collection of microorganisms living inside us and on our skin, has attracted considerable attention for its role in a broad range of human health issues. Now, researchers are discovering that the built environment also has a microbiome, which includes a community of potentially-pathogenic bacteria living inside water supply pipes.

15 Mar 2016

Discovery of new strain of bacteria could aid in developing effective oral probiotic

University of Florida Health researchers have identified a new strain of bacteria in the mouth that may keep bad bacteria in check -- and could lead to a way to prevent cavities using probiotics.The researchers say the findings could lead to the development of a supplement that patients could take orally to prevent cavities

11 Mar 2016

Bacteria lurking in dental water lines

Bacteria lurking in the water lines at the dentist's office are tougher than we thought, according to a new paper published in Water Research. The study reveals that the disinfectants recommended by companies that manufacture the water lines don't actually shift all the bacteria in the lines, which means they're never completely clean.

17 Feb 2016

Anti-biofilm compounds show promise against drug-resistant bacteria associated with hospital-acquired infections

Researchers at the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute and School of Public Health have discovered a new class of anti-biofilm compounds derived from marine microorganisms that show promise against a drug-resistant bacterium commonly associated with hospital-acquired infections.

16 Feb 2016

Nine researchers win EPSRC Healthcare Technologies Challenge Awards

Nine researchers, working on innovative projects that promise to improve healthcare diagnosis and treatment, across a wide spread of issues, were today announced as the first recipients of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council's (EPSRC) Healthcare Technologies Challenge Awards.

15 Feb 2016

UIC researchers discover molecular switch that allows salmonella bacteria to fight immune system

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have discovered a molecular regulator that allows salmonella bacteria to switch from actively causing disease to lurking in a chronic but asymptomatic state called a biofilm.

7 Feb 2016

New technology could help identify, characterize biologically active molecules produced by living cells

Gene sequencing company Illumina recently made big waves by announcing a new spinoff, Grail, dedicated to building a test for cancer by sequencing tumor DNA fragments found in blood. The company also reported plans for a separate project to identify single cells and tag them for later analysis.

1 Feb 2016

E-cigarettes suppress immune defenses, alter inflammation and boost bacterial virulence

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System report data suggesting that e-cigarettes are toxic to human airway cells, suppress immune defenses and alter inflammation, while at the same time boosting bacterial virulence.

27 Jan 2016

New humidity sensors could help combat proliferation of bacteria

The Telecommunications Engineer Aitor Urrutia-Azcona has designed some humidity sensors with anti-bacterial properties that combat the proliferation of micro-organisms in environments where the humidity level is very high, such as hospitals and industrial premises for foodstuffs or pharmaceutical products.

25 Jan 2016

Food preservative delivers one-two punch to cancer, antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Nisin, a naturally occurring food preservative that grows on dairy products, delivers a one-two punch to two of medicine's most lethal maladies: cancer and deadly, antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

12 Jan 2016

Australian researchers develop new technique to combat chronic bacterial infections in hospitals

One of the scourges of infections in hospitals – biofilms formed by bacteria that stick to each other on living tissue and medical instruments, making them harder to remove – can be tricked into dispersing with the targeted application of nanoparticles and heat, researchers have found.

21 Dec 2015

A glass of clean drinking water contains 10 million bacteria

Researchers from Lund University in Sweden have discovered that our drinking water is to a large extent purified by millions of "good bacteria" found in water pipes and purification plants. So far, the knowledge about them has been practically non-existent, but this new research is about to change that.

17 Dec 2015

Research could lead to new treatments to prevent blockages, urinary tract infections faced by long-term catheter users

New research could lead to new treatments to prevent blockages and urinary tract infections experienced by many long-term catheter users.

14 Dec 2015