Preserve the Power – taking the fight against antimicrobial resistance to the big screen

Attention, movie fans and aspiring filmmakers of Australia – a generous cash prize is on offer for the winners of a national short film competition, called ‘Preserve the Power’. The contest, created in partnership between NPS MedicineWise and American Express Openair Cinemas, is intended to spread awareness about the danger of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Each … Read more

Researchers develop paper that could help you stay germ-free

Could paper be used to help protect us against dangerous bacteria? New research suggests this could be entirely possible, as a team led by Rutgers University scientists has developed the first paper-based sanitiser. Their work was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The sanitiser paper works by producing ‘plasma’ – … Read more

Not just a tasty snack – maple syrup can boost the power of antibiotics

Enjoy maple syrup with your pancakes? An ongoing study suggests that the popular kitchen companion contains extracts which could boost the power of antibiotics, significantly reducing the amount of drug needed to kill infectious bacteria. On the 2nd April, Dr. Nathalie Tufenkji presented the latest information on the study at the ‘253rd National Meeting & Exposition … Read more

A major antimicrobial additive could cause antibiotic tolerance in bacteria

A recent study has given evidence to suggest that a popular antimicrobial additive plays a part in inducing bacterial tolerance to some of our most powerful antibiotics. The research, which was carried out by microbiologists at Washington University, Corey Westfall and Petra Levin and is still in the peer-review stage of publication, showed that bacteria … Read more

Treating biofilms to an antimicrobial ‘cloak’

Researchers have developed an antimicrobial ‘cloak’ which could play a key role in helping to protect us from the build-up of dangerous microbial biofilms. In their paper published on the 5th of December in Scientific Reports the team found that an agar hydrogel, containing graphene-oxide and laser printed to mimic the shell surface of the … Read more

A living antibiotic?

We may have found a new ally in the fight against antibiotic resistance… though it might not be what you’d expect. Researchers have found exciting evidence to suggest that a predatory bacteria, Bdellovibro bacteriovirus, could be used to deal with dangerous bacterial infections as a ‘living antibiotic’. The study, published on the 23rd November in … Read more