Nanosponges Help Fight Superbugs

May-23-15 In one more step toward fighting superbug infections, researchers have created nanosponges that could be used to clean up bacterial toxins.

Developed by a team from the University of California, San Diego, the gel-filled nanosponges are an evolution of an earlier version created to absorb toxins in the bloodstream. These nanosponges, which are disguised as red blood cells, were originally designed to capture toxins as they move through the bloodstream, but were less than ideal when fighting a localized infection.

The new version of the nanosponges, created to fight antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, can be anchored in place with a gel made up of polymer and water. This allows the sponges to absorb the toxins in a specific, infected location, weakening the bacteria enough for the body’s natural defenses to fight them off. In tests on mice, the nanosponges were able to reduce the size of the skin lesions caused by MRSA, an infection caused by antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria.

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