Over 2.8 million Americans get antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections annually, and about 35,000 of those patients do not make it through their infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hongjun (Henry) Liang, Ph.D., of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, has largely focused his research on creating novel nanoparticles known as nanoantibiotics that address bacterial infections, particularly those that are resistant to treatment with commonly used antibiotics, to find solutions to the problem of antibiotic resistance.
As of July 26th, 2022, a US patent titled “Hydrophilic Nanostructured Membrane Active Antimicrobials With High Activity, Selectivity And Biodegradability” had been issued in connection with Liang’s work, enabling the Liang laboratory team to manufacture the innovative nanoantibiotics.
We have a lot of antibiotics already being used in the clinics, and many of them are quite effective to ordinary infections. But we are facing this increasing challenge with MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) and other kinds of drug-resistant bacteria, which are the bacteria that turns ordinary infections into life-threatening events.
Hongjun Liang, Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
The ability of a molecule to repel water (hydrophobicity) or to attract water and dissolve in it (hydrophilicity) has been shown to have a major impact on cells in previous studies. According to Liang, a material will have a higher negative effect the more hydrophobic it is.
He emphasized that there is, however, no quantitative benchmark for the acceptable level of hydrophobicity.
Liang added, “Basically, you can kill bacteria when you increase hydrophobicity. But it also will kill healthy cells, and we don’t want that.”
The Liang team created unique hydrophilic nanoantibiotics in a study published in January 2022 in Nature Communications. These nanoantibiotics had the appearance of tiny hairy spheres and were made of many hydrophilic polymer brushes grafted onto silica nanoparticles of various sizes.
These man-made substances, which are also produced by Liang’s lab, are intended to kill bacteria by disrupting their membranes by utilizing a distinct method of membrane remodeling that affects bacterial membranes while leaving mammalian cells unharmed.
This was the third paper on nanoantibiotics that the Liang lab has published. The first and second publications that described the hydrophilic nanoantibiotic design approach were released in 2017 by ACS Infectious Disease and in 2020 by Biomacromolecules.
Both were highlighted by Chemical & Engineering News and featured as cover stories in their respective journals.
Liang said his team is now concentrating on a two-pronged approach to enhance and improve the nanoantibiotics for use in patients, armed with the three published findings and the patent.
Pushing for clinical trials is the first strategy, which Liang defined as the research and academic component of his approach. The Liang lab will begin that procedure by submitting new applications for federal funding that support animal studies and ultimately result in clinical trials on human subjects.
He stated, “That is more like the research and academic side of our effort.”
Working with the Texas Tech University Innovation Hub to assist in the commercialization of Liang’s lab’s invention is the second element of his approach.
“By taking the training opportunity on research commercialization from our Innovation Hub, hopefully, we are able to identify interested parties in the pharmaceutical industry who are able or willing to collaborate with us. One of our likely directions is to apply for an SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) grant to pilot scale production. That’s our two-pronged approach,” stated Liang.
Infection is a major concern for both scientists and practicing physicians, according to Liang. By harnessing innovation to develop a new generation of antibiotics, he hopes to be able to overcome this issue.
Liang concluded, “That is our goal and we are well on our way to that. I can’t say this is the only way forward; of course, there are many different ways. The novelty of our contribution is to tackle this challenge by designing antibiotics from a nanoengineering point of view. This is a very new path that is not well explored, and we are proud of our progress so far.”
![](https://www.nanoappsmedical.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/spacer.jpg)
News
The Silent Battle Within: How Your Organs Choose Between Mom and Dad’s Genes
Research reveals that selective expression of maternal or paternal X chromosomes varies by organ, driven by cellular competition. A new study published today (July 26) in Nature Genetics by the Lymphoid Development Group at the MRC [...]
Study identifies genes increasing risk of severe COVID-19
Whether or not a person becomes seriously ill with COVID-19 depends, among other things, on genetic factors. With this in mind, researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn, in [...]
Small regions of the brain can take micro-naps while the rest of the brain is awake and vice versa
Sleep and wake: They're totally distinct states of being that define the boundaries of our daily lives. For years, scientists have measured the difference between these instinctual brain processes by observing brain waves, with [...]
Redefining Consciousness: Small Regions of the Brain Can Take Micro-Naps While the Rest of the Brain Is Awake
The study broadly reveals how fast brain waves, previously overlooked, establish fundamental patterns of sleep and wakefulness. Scientists have developed a new method to analyze sleep and wake states by detecting ultra-fast neuronal activity [...]
AI Reveals Health Secrets Through Facial Temperature Mapping
Researchers have found that different facial temperatures correlate with chronic illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure, and these can be detected using AI with thermal cameras. They highlight the potential of this technology [...]
Breakthrough in aging research: Blocking IL-11 extends lifespan and improves health in mice
In a recent study published in the journal Nature, a team of researchers used murine models and various pharmacological and genetic approaches to examine whether pro-inflammatory signaling involving interleukin (IL)-11, which activates signaling molecules such [...]
Promise for a universal influenza vaccine: Scientists validate theory using 1918 flu virus
New research led by Oregon Health & Science University reveals a promising approach to developing a universal influenza vaccine—a so-called "one and done" vaccine that confers lifetime immunity against an evolving virus. The study, [...]
New Projects Aim To Pioneer the Future of Neuroscience
One study will investigate the alterations in brain activity at the cellular level caused by psilocybin, the psychoactive substance found in “magic mushrooms.” How do neurons respond to the effects of magic mushrooms? What [...]
Decoding the Decline: Scientific Insights Into Long COVID’s Retreat
Research indicates a significant reduction in long COVID risk, largely due to vaccination and the virus’s evolution. The study analyzes data from over 441,000 veterans, showing lower rates of long COVID among vaccinated individuals compared [...]
Silicon Transformed: A Breakthrough in Laser Nanofabrication
A new method enables precise nanofabrication inside silicon using spatial light modulation and laser pulses, creating advanced nanostructures for potential use in electronics and photonics. Silicon, the cornerstone of modern electronics, photovoltaics, and photonics, [...]
Caught in the actinium: New research could help design better cancer treatments
The element actinium was first discovered at the turn of the 20th century, but even now, nearly 125 years later, researchers still don't have a good grasp on the metal's chemistry. That's because actinium [...]
Innovative Light-Controlled Drugs Could Revolutionize Neuropathic Pain Treatment
A team of researchers from the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) has developed light-activated derivatives of the anti-epileptic drug carbamazepine to treat neuropathic pain. Light can be harnessed to target drugs to specific [...]
Green Gold: Turning E-Waste Into a Treasure Trove of Rare Earth Metals
Scientists are developing a process inspired by nature that efficiently recovers europium from old fluorescent lamps. The approach could lead to the long-awaited recycling of rare earth metals. A small molecule that naturally serves [...]
Cambridge Study: AI Chatbots Have an “Empathy Gap,” and It Could Be Dangerous
A new study suggests a framework for “Child Safe AI” in response to recent incidents showing that many children perceive chatbots as quasi-human and reliable. A study has indicated that AI chatbots often exhibit [...]
Nanoparticle-based delivery system could offer treatment for diabetics with rare insulin allergy
Up to 3% of people with diabetes have an allergic reaction to insulin. A team at Forschungszentrum Jülich has now studied a method that could be used to deliver the active substance into the [...]
Nanorobot kills cancer cells in mice with hidden weapon
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have developed nanorobots that kill cancer cells in mice. The robot's weapon is hidden in a nanostructure and is exposed only in the tumor microenvironment, sparing healthy cells. [...]