New weapon against bacterial infections
What happens if water-soluble and non-water-soluble antibiotics are combined in medical technology, such as wound dressings? Until recently, researchers have not been able to answer that question, because they have not succeeded in doing so. Now, however, CBH professor Michael Malkoch and his research group have solved the task, and an excellent weapon against bacterial infections is emerging.
Until today, one way of fighting bacteria has been to use plasters and dressings where a coating of silver has been the bactericidal agent. This solution has been successful, but at the same time the conditions have changed. More and more multi-resistant bacteria are emerging and pose an increasing threat to us humans.
"Today's wound dressings are dipped in silver ions. The problem is that the bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant to silver in particular," says Michael Malkoch, professor of fiber and polymer technology at CBH.
In order to solve this problem, Michael Malkoch and research colleagues at KTH have developed a new antibacterial material in the form of a so-called hydrogel, a work that has just been published in the scientific journal Advanced Functional Materials.