Nanogel technology from Welsh university destroys drug-resistant bacteria

As the threat of antibiotic resistance grows, an academic from a Welsh university has led the development of a novel technology capable of killing some of the most dangerous bacteria known to medicine.

With over 99.9% effectiveness against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), a bacteria responsible for pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and wound infections, the innovation from Swansea University centres on a multi-target binding nanogel.

The nanogel is a flexible particle made from a combination of polymers and sugar residues (galactose and fucose), alongside antimicrobial peptides.

The sugars attach to specific proteins on the bacteria’s surface, guiding the nanogel precisely to its target.

Once there, the antimicrobial peptides disrupt the bacterial membrane, leading to rapid and selective bacterial death without harming surrounding healthy cells.

Advanced testing using flow cytometry, scanning electron microscopy, and confocal microscopy revealed:

• Over 99.99% of free-floating P. aeruginosa were killed.
• Over 99.9% of biofilm-coated P. aeruginosa, the tough, protective layer bacteria form, were inactivated within 12 hours.

The nanogel also showed strong antibacterial effects against other major threats, including E. coli and MRSA.

This technology offers a strategy for tackling biofilm-related and multidrug-resistant infections, two of the most persistent challenges in modern medicine.

Main corresponding author and research supervisor, Dr Sumati Bhatia, Senior Lecturer in Chemistry at Swansea University, said: “Leading this research, alongside our international partners, has been incredibly rewarding.

“It opens a new direction for using glycan-based polymer systems as a therapeutic strategy against pathogenic bacteria and could lay the foundation for a new class of antibacterial therapies against contagious bacterial infections.”

This discovery is the result of a collaboration between Dr Bhatia and academics from Freie Universität Berlin, combining expertise in glycochemistry, polymer sciences, and nanotechnology.

Thanks to funding support from the German Science Foundation, Dr Bhatia is able to continue this work at Swansea University.

The full study is available to read here.