Antibiotic resistance: technical tricks against pathogens
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Image: Example illustration of the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion test; Copyright: UZH

UZH

AI supports the detection of antibiotic resistance

31.10.2024

A pilot study at the University of Zurich is the first to demonstrate the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in identifying antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Researchers used the GPT-4 model to support the diagnostic process in the laboratory and thus relieve the burden on medical professionals in the fight against increasing antibiotic resistance worldwide.
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Image: In the foreground, there is a golden chip, which is used for the analysis, held by two fingers. The background is black. Copyright: David Baillot/University of California San Diego

David Baillot/University of California San Diego

Faster and more accurate pathogen detection through DNA melting

05.03.2024

Unlike conventional blood cultures, which can take anywhere from 15 hours to several days to yield results, the new digital DNA melting analysis delivers actionable insights in under six hours. This accelerated turnaround time enables clinicians to initiate targeted treatment strategies promptly, minimizing the risk of disease progression and improving patient outcomes.
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Image: The team at the Institute of PharmaceuticalMicrobiology: Three women and a man in white coats smile for the camera; Copyright: Gregor Hübl/University of Bonn

Gregor Hübl/University of Bonn

Researchers decode new antibiotic

29.08.2023

Cooperation between the University of Bonn, the USA and the Netherlands cracks the mode of action of clovibactin
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Image: Healthy food. Fresh vegetables, fruits, meat and fish on the table. View from above; Copyright: LanaSweet

LanaSweet

Research gives new insights into fighting antimicrobial resistance

25.08.2023

Cooking food thoroughly and avoiding some types of vegetables and salad during a course of antibiotic treatment could potentially reduce antibiotic resistance, by preventing bacteria carrying resistance genes getting into the gut, according to a new study.
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Image: View of a laboratory, where a robotic facility has been built; Copyright: Anna Schroll/Leibniz-HKI

Anna Schroll/Leibniz-HKI

Robotics: modular platform for antibiotics research

27.07.2023

The high cost and limited commercial value of new antibiotics discourage their development, as they are used sparingly to avoid resistance. To address this, a new robotics platform aims to simplify the development of active substances to combat the problem of antibiotic resistance. While we cannot always prevent resistance, this approach offers a promising solution.
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Image: Magnetic nanoparticles (red) bind specifically to the spherical bacteria (yellow) which are about 1 µm in size (electron microscopy digitally colored); Copyright: Empa

Empa

Antibiotics crisis: rapid test for sepsis with nanoparticles

09.06.2023

For Qun Ren, every minute counts. The Empa researcher and her team are currently developing a diagnostic procedure that can detect life-threatening blood poisoning caused by staphylococcus bacteria rapidly. This is because staphylococcal sepsis is fatal in up to 40 percent of the cases.
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Image: One man and two women posing for the camera with a building in the background; Copyright: Karolinska Institutet

Karolinska Institutet

New method reveals bacterial reaction to antibiotics in five minutes

26.05.2023

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have developed a molecular method able to detect whether or not bacteria respond to antibiotics within minutes.
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Image: A Setup to conduct Optical Nanomotion Detection, b Optical image of E. coli bacteria. C. Same field of view as B in false colors; Copyright: Ines Villalba (EPFL)

Ines Villalba (EPFL)

Antibiotic resistance: fast, cheap, and easy test method

02.05.2023

“We have developed a technique in our laboratories that allows us to obtain an antibiogram within 2-4 hours – instead of the current 24 hours for the most common germs and one month for tuberculosis,” says Dr Sandor Kasas at EPFL.
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Image: Two men in dark clothes posing in front of the experimental station Alvra of the Swiss X-ray free-electron laser SwissFEL; Copyright: Paul Scherrer Institut/Markus Fischer

Paul Scherrer Institut/Markus Fischer

Using light to switch drugs on and off

27.02.2023

In the ImageTox project, the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) and the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security are pooling their expertise in the fields of drug discovery and artificial intelligence (AI).
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Image: Researchers at HIPS work with zebrafish larvae to detect potential side effects of new drugs at an early stage; Copyright: Dietze / HIPS

Dietze / HIPS

HIPS and CISPA join forces to make future active ingredients safer

23.02.2023

In the ImageTox project, the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) and the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security are pooling their expertise in the fields of drug discovery and artificial intelligence (AI).
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Image: A woman with black hair in a white coat sits in a research laboratory and operates a microscope; Copyright: wichayada69

wichayada69

Funding to produce biodegradable antiviral and antibacterial materials

08.02.2023

A new junior research group at Freie Universität Berlin, which will investigate the production of biodegradable antiviral and antibacterial materials, with one of the goals of synthesis being new alternatives to conventional antibiotics, will receive a total budget of more than 1.8 million euros from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) over the next five years.
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Image: The doctor treats the wound on the patient's leg in a clinic room; Copyright: Okrasyuk

Okrasyuk

Wound care: New spray fights infections and antibiotic resistance

07.02.2023

A group of researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden are presenting a new spray that can kill even antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and that can be used for wound care and directly on implants and other medical devices.
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Bild: Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacterium responsible for the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea. 3D illustration; Copyright: iLexx

iLexx

Bacterial electricity: Membrane potential influences antibiotic tolerance

27.01.2023

The electrical potential across the bacterial cell envelope indicates when bacteria no longer operate as individual cells but as a collective. Researchers at the University of Cologne's Institute for Biological Physics have discovered this connection between the electrical properties and the lifestyle of bacteria.
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Bild: A research team of two works in the laboratory with a laptop. Analyzing the results; Copyright: Hoverstock

Hoverstock

Sequential antibiotic therapy in the laboratory and in patients

23.01.2023

Rapid switching between different antibiotics could prevent the evolution of resistance and lead to successful treatment of patients.
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Image: A vegan to flexitarian diet; Copyright: PantherMedia / marilyna

PantherMedia / marilyna

Climate Change: "Meat Should be Reserved for Special Occasions"

18.01.2022

The global food system today directly and indirectly impacts personal and planetary health and burdens the health care system and climate as a result. Rethinking our diet and food choices and using technology can make a lasting difference on the health of people and our planet.
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Image: A miniaturized, round sensor under a fingertip; Copyright: TU Dresden

SmartLab: all-in-one automation, digitalization, and miniaturization

01.09.2020

Laboratories have to analyze and interpret an ever-increasing number of samples for research and diagnostic services, generating lots of data in the process. At the same time, labs are required to produce quality results and operate with speed. Processes that could once be managed using laboratory notebooks and isolated systems must become smart in the future to improve lab efficiency.
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Image: Flags are blowing in the wind to the backdrop of a dark evening sky; Copyright: Messe Düsseldorf/ctillmann

Medicine at the pulse of time: Innovations and trends at MEDICA 2019

04.11.2019

Soon, the world's largest trade fair for medical technology will open its doors again: More than 5.000 exhibitors will present their newest products and ideas at MEDICA from 18 to 21 November. You will not only meet well-known companies here, but also lots of young start-ups. Or, you can visit the MEDICA forums and conferences to experience a rich program of lectures and discussions.
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Image: A lab technician is using a pipette to fill a solution into a petri dish; Copyright: panthermedia.net/Arne Trautmann

Last-resort antibiotics: "We can identify carbapenemases within half an hour"

01.08.2019

Antibiotic resistance is modern medicine's greatest challenge. Some bacteria only respond to a handful of antibiotics, prompting hospitals to spend a lot of time finding an effective drug. That’s why it is critical for physicians to rapidly identify antibiotic resistance to avoid ineffective treatments.
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Image: A greenly lit laboratory device; Copyright: Sven Döring

Photonics: "We want a rapid and easy method to identify pathogens and antibiotic resistance"

01.08.2019

The medical devices value chain has gaps between academic research and industrial practice that slow down innovation processes. This also applies to time-sensitive and urgently needed products such as rapid diagnostic tests to identify resistant pathogens. At the InfectoGnostics Research Campus in Jena, partners from research and medicine team up to close these gaps.
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Image: Two petri dishes with different kinds of agar plates on which bacterial cultures are growing; Copyright: panthermedia.net/photographee.eu

Antibiotic resistance: technical tricks against pathogens

01.08.2019

An untreatable infection is a nightmare for physicians and potentially life-threatening to the patient. Unfortunately, more and more pathogens emerge that are resistant to drugs, especially antibiotics. We need to use our drugs smartly and come up with technical solutions as well to prevent our weapons from blunting in the future.
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Image: A man is holding a hand full of pill blisters with antibiotics; Copyright: panthermedia.net/alexkalina

Combating antibiotic resistance: One step ahead through technology

01.08.2019

Antibiotic resistance is on the rise in all parts of the world, complicating medical treatment of serious bacterial infections in patients. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 33,000 people die each year from antibiotic-resistant bacteria in Europe alone. Bacteria that are resistant to multiple or even all known antibiotics pose an ever-increasing threat.
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