A method for overcoming antibiotic resistance uses multimodal nanoparticles that target bacterial defence mechanisms while enhancing the innate immune response. The rise in antibiotic resistance is considered a slow-moving medical catastrophe, as these revolutionary drugs that have kept us relatively safe from bacterial infection for decades are losing their efficacy. In part due to their co-evolution, bacterial pathogens have developed mechanisms to resist almost every antibiotic on the market and we are in desperate need for new, innovative approaches. Writing in Nature Nanotechnology, Zhu et al. present a nanoparticle-based possibility, in which they target bacterial defence mechanisms while simultaneously enhancing the ability of the host immune cells to fight infection.
Sarah Gong
UW Researchers Will Develop Gene Editing Therapy to Treat Blindness
A new study by UW researchers will test gene editing therapy to treat blindness. The collaborative project involves a team of ophthalmology researchers and biomedical engineers.
New Nanoparticles Deliver Therapy Brain-Wide, Edit Alzheimer’s Gene In Mice
Researchers at UW–Madison have engineered silicone nanoparticles to cross the blood-brain barrier in mice to deliver brain-wide gene editing therapy for Alzheimer’s disease.
New nanoparticles aid sepsis treatment in mice
Tens of millions of people worldwide are affected by diseases like macular degeneration or have had accidents that permanently damage the light-sensitive photoreceptors within their retinas that enable vision.
Meet the Newest DOVS Faculty Member: Shaoqin (Sarah) Gong
The UW Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences is pleased to welcome Shaoqin (Sarah) Gong, PhD, as our newest faculty member. Gong comes to DOVS with more than 20 years of experience as a scientist, …
Teaming Up for Gene Therapy
*This article originally appeared in the McPherson Eye Research Institute Summer 2021 InSights Newsletter Millions of Americans currently battle inherited visual disorders, armed with very few therapeutic options. Recent advances in genome editing, which many believe …
Micro-molded ‘ice cube tray’ scaffold is next step in returning sight to injured retinas
In new research published today, UW–Madison researchers reported a new nanoparticle-based treatment for sepsis that delivers anti-inflammatory molecules and antibiotics.
Treating Antimicrobial Resistant Infections: A Nano-scale Approach with Big Impacts
Antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) infections are predicted to kill 10 million people each year by 2050—up from 700,000 in 2019—and force 24 million people into extreme poverty as early as 2030. Yet, the pharmaceutical industry has divested from the antibiotic resistance crisis, investing instead in more lucrative types of drugs.