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A polymer has been developed that kills antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
The problem of bacteria and antibiotics has existed for a long time and the only way to combat pathogenic microorganisms is to develop new types of antibiotic drugs. But after some time, sometimes even a very short time, after the appearance of a new antibiotic, it suddenly begins to lose its effectiveness due to the fact that bacteria mutate and become resistant to its effects. More recently, researchers from IBM Research have discovered a new method of combating pathogenic microorganisms that does not require the use of antibiotics and allows you to deal with even extremely hardy bacteria, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Interestingly, this method has become a side effect of the development of new technologies for the manufacture of semiconductors.
Chemical scientists at IBM Research in Almaden, California, have been working to develop a new method for etching microscopic structures on silicon substrates that could be more precise than technologies currently used in the electronics industry. In their research, they developed new materials whose particles, when charged with an electrical potential, cluster together to form polymers that protect the silicon surface from the etchant.
After the materials were found and the technology worked as expected, scientists conducted additional research to find out if these materials could be used elsewhere. The result was what was called a killer polymer. When particles of this material are introduced into a liquid medium, water or blood, they self-assemble into biocompatible nanostructures that are attracted to infected cells with their own potential due to electrostatic forces. Upon reaching an infected cell, the polymer penetrates it, affects the pathogen and decomposes, leaving behind harmless substances. According to available information, this method of combating infectious diseases has no side effects, and no harmful substances accumulate in the body.
"The mechanism by which these killer polymers work is fundamentally different from the mechanism by which an antibiotic works," says Jim Hedrick, a chemist at IBM Research. "The polymer works more like the body's immune system. The polymer destabilizes the membrane of the microorganism, which then simply disintegrates, and the products of the polymer and the microorganism are excreted naturally. And the microorganisms have no chance of developing resistance to this method of action."
In addition to combating pathogens directly inside the human body, new polymer materials will find wide application where sterility and inhibition of the growth of any kind of microorganisms are required. This includes the production of various types of spatulas and scrapers for food products, packaging and replacing not very useful antibacterial agents in such things as toothpaste and mouthwash, for example.
IBM Research researchers are currently working to further develop the polymer-based technology to combat pathogens and are seeking a partner company to commercialize the technology.
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