Nanosponges hold promise for superbug treatments

MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is type of bacterial infection that is increasingly resistant to a number of widely used antibiotics.

Developed by a team at the University of California in San Diego, and described in the journal Advanced Materials, the new treatment has been proven to minimise the growth of skin lesions on mice infected with MRSA without the use of antibiotics.

Each nanosponge is a nanoparticle coated in a red blood cell membrane. This coating disguises the nanosponges as red blood cells, which are the real targets of the harmful toxins produced by MRSA. By masquerading as red blood cells, the nanosponges attract harmful toxins and remove them from the bloodstream.

It’s believed that by removing these toxins – which act a defence mechanism for the bacteria - the bacteria become significantly weakened and exposed, allowing the body’s immune system to kill them more easily without the use of drugs.