On Monday, April 4, 2011, IBM announced information on their development of a new technology that combats and conquers drug-resistant bacteria. This drug-resistant bacteria, aka superbugs, are responsible for thousands of deaths every year. The most famous example of a superbug is MRSA. The researchers at IBM developed a new nanoparticle that essentially breaks down the cell membrane of drug-resistant bacteria, leaving the cell to biochemically degrade harmlessly inside the body. The new technology works by using "biodegradable plastic to engineer electrically charged nanoparticles that in turn attract to the bacteria’s opposite charge, in turn destroying the membrane walls hence the cell entirely." Other antibiotics work to destroy the DNA of the bacteria, which is almost always effective. Sometimes, however, not all of the bacteria is destroyed, and the remaining bacteria develops a resistance to the anitbiotics previously used, leading to a strain of superbugs. The new medicine developed by IBM destroys the bacteria's cell membrane, allowing it to degrade inside the body. Since the medicine is also composed of only organic materials, the human body can safely dispose of it, meaning that there are no side effects like most medicines can have. This new system was testing on mice infected with MRSA and proved to be very successful. IBM is in the process of setting up human trials with several pharmaceutical companies.
This article made me very happy! Hearing that someone finally had a breakthrough in developing medicine to fight drug-resistant bacteria gives me hope that breakthroughs for other diseases such as cancer or HIV/AIDS can happen as well. This discovery can lead to saving thousands and even millions of lives! Hopefully they can get the CDC to approve this new medicine rather soon so we don't have to worry about the new superbug in hospitals anymore (see "Superbug Runs Rampant").
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