March 13th, 2009
Nanogold improves antimicrobial polymers
Yesterday I visited Professors Michael Wilson and Ivan Parkin of University College London (UCL). In the last few months they have published some really ground-breaking work that has the potential to open up a whole new field of application for gold.
The work of these researchers in Biomaterials has shown that 2 nanometre gold particles significantly enhance the ability of methylene blue (a light-activated antimicrobial agent) to kill bacteria like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Healthcare related infections like MRSA are an increasing problem and there is a huge amount of interest in developing new technologies that can prevent cross-infection and contamination. This work could have real potential in all sorts of healthcare related applications including catheters, surface coatings in hospitals and wound treatments.
Richard Holliday
See you in Nice, Raphael
Noting past research to uncovered antimicrobial applications for gold, these new developments are most promising.