Antimicrobial Hydrogel
April 9, 2013 | Terry Sharrer
Every surface in a hospital—from bed rails to food trays to door knobs, furniture, etc—are locations which can harbor microorganisms of hospital-acquired infections. Some of these pathogens are antibiotic resistant, and that problem is what IBM Research and the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in Singapore aimed to address with an antimicrobial hydrogel. Because hydrogels maintain a positive charge, they can attract the negative charge on bacterial membranes, thereby engulfing and rupturing the germ cells. Bacteria are unable to develop resistance to this physical kind of sterilization. MORE WITH VIDEO
Image Credit: IBM Research