Biofilms News and Research

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Plaque-causing bacteria increases risk of heart attack

Plaque-causing bacteria can jailbreak from the mouth into the bloodstream and increase your risk of heart attack says a scientist at the Society for General Microbiology's autumn meeting in Nottingham.

6 Sep 2010

WPI researchers: Cranberry juice cocktail blocks strain of S. aureus

Expanding their scope of study on the mechanisms of bacterial infection, researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute have reported the surprise finding from a small clinical study that cranberry juice cocktail blocked a strain of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) from beginning the process of infection.

2 Sep 2010

'Molecular Diagnostics Europe' conference debuts at BIOTECHNICA 2010

BIOTECHNICA, Europe's Leading Exhibition for Biotechnology and Life Sciences, is broadening its portfolio to include a new conference and special display on molecular diagnostics. Produced by the Cambridge Healthtech Institute, a leading organizer of biomedical conferences in the United States, the "Molecular Diagnostics Europe" (MDxEU) conference is making its debut this year. The main focus will be on new methods for molecular diagnostics, particularly with regard to cancer and infectious diseases.

27 Aug 2010

Communication between bacterial species promotes resistance to antibiotics: Study

Ear infections caused by more than one species of bacteria could be more persistent and antibiotic-resistant because one pathogen may be communicating with the other, encouraging it to bolster its defenses. Interrupting or removing that communication could be key to curing these infections. Researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center publish their findings today in mBio-, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

7 Jul 2010

Bacterin International completes reverse merger transaction

Bacterin International, Inc., a Nevada company, today announced that it has completed a reverse merger transaction with Bacterin International Holdings, Inc. f/k/a K-Kitz, in which the Company caused its wholly-owned subsidiary to be merged with and into Bacterin, with Bacterin as the surviving company.

1 Jul 2010

Twelve residents receive one-year fellowship grant to study medical dermatology

Twelve dermatology residents from leading medical schools around the country each received a $40,000, one-year fellowship grant to study medical dermatology. The fellowships, awarded by the National Psoriasis Foundation, provide support to eligible institutions to develop and enhance opportunities for physicians training for careers in medical dermatology.

1 Jul 2010

TWI launches new educational module to understand role of biofilms in chronic wound infections

The Wound Institute today announced the launch of a new educational module "Exploring Biofilms," an accredited, online course designed to help practicing wound care specialists better understand the role that biofilms play in chronic wound infections.

14 Jun 2010

Kansas State University researcher awarded NIH grant to study antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are becoming a growing problem around the world, and are a particular worry in hospital-acquired infections.

20 May 2010

Researchers develop new method for tracing carbon flux

Microbial communities are performing important functions all around us - from the earth in our flowerpots to the human gut. Now researchers have developed a method for studying the metabolic functions of microbial communities in detail.

12 May 2010

New study to send microorganisms into space

A team of researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will send an army of microorganisms into space this week, to investigate new ways of preventing the formation and spread of biofilms, or clusters of bacteria, that could pose a threat to the health of astronauts.

11 May 2010

Study could provide new strategies to prevent hospital-acquired infections

A bacterial pathogen can communicate with yeast to block the development of drug-resistant yeast infections, say Irish scientists writing in the May issue of Microbiology. The research could be a step towards new strategies to prevent hospital-acquired infections associated with medical implants.

3 May 2010

Effective compound against antibiotic-resistant biofilms

Researchers at North Carolina State University have found a chemical compound that, when used in conjunction with conventional antibiotics, is effective in destroying biofilms produced by antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria such as the Staphylococcus strain MRSA and Acinetobacter. The compound also re-sentsitizes those bacteria to antibiotics.

9 Apr 2010

Campylobacter cells can survive with biofilm protection

In research published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology, IFR researchers have found that Campylobacter will readily form a biofilm under laboratory conditions, and that, when the bacteria were left in air, they respond to these stressful conditions by more rapidly forming this biofilm.

25 Mar 2010

Humans can harbor bacteria in gallstones, infect others with active typhoid fever

A new study suggests that the bacteria that cause typhoid fever collect in tiny but persistent communities on gallstones, making the infection particularly hard to fight in so-called "carriers" - people who have the disease but show no symptoms.

23 Feb 2010

NRF and MOE fund support for SCELSE microbial biofilm research centre

The National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced today the funding support for a Research Centre of Excellence (RCE) called the Singapore Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE) to be set up at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

15 Feb 2010

Scientists identify bacterial protein VpsT as master regulator in Vibrio

Finding a biological mechanism much like an online social network, scientists have identified the bacterial protein VpsT as the master regulator in Vibrio, the cause of cholera and other enteric diseases. This discovery, now published in the journal Science, provides a major tool to combat enteric disease.

15 Feb 2010

Research could help in developing more effective treatments for wound infections

Bacteria that infect chronic wounds can be deadly to maggot 'biosurgeons' used to treat the lesions, show researchers writing in the journal Microbiology. The findings could lead to more effective treatment of wounds and the development of novel antibiotics.

5 Feb 2010

Kane Biotech grants 175,000 stock options at $0.15 per common share

Kane Biotech Inc., a biotechnology company engaged in the development of products that prevent and disperse microbial biofilms, announces today that it has granted an aggregate of 175,000 stock options at an exercise price of $0.15 per common share, to the President & CEO of the Company.

23 Jan 2010

Australia issues patent covering Kane Biotech's DispersinB anti-biofilm technology

Kane Biotech Inc., a biotechnology company engaged in the development of products that prevent and disperse microbial biofilms, is pleased to announce the issuance of Patent No. 2003284385 entitled "Compositions and methods for enzymatic detachment of bacterial and fungal biofilms" by IP Australia (Australian Patent and Trademark Office).

21 Jan 2010

Jamming bacterial communication may improve chronic wound care

Listening in on bacterial conversations could be the solution for improving chronic wound care, says a team of researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York. Their findings have been published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology.

5 Jan 2010