‘Roach Motels’ for Bacteria 
In the age-old battle between man and microbe, people have tried in countless ways to keep their surroundings germ-free, ranging from plain old scrubbing, heat sterilization and chemical disinfectants to high-tech solutions like irradiation or drug-eluting coatings.
Now a new approach could make it easier to keep disease-causing bacteria from forming noxious invisible biofilms on surfaces.
Researchers at the University of New Mexico and the University of Florida have developed polymer microspheres that trap and kill bacteria — in effect tiny antimicrobial “roach motels.”
Coatings made from these structures, technically known as “conjugated polyelectrolyte capsules,” have proved their mettle in the laboratory against a variety of bacteria and even some spores, raising the possibility that they could be effective against virulent strains, like anthrax, says biochemist David Whitten, associate director of UNM’s Center for Biomedical Engineering.
Now a new approach could make it easier to keep disease-causing bacteria from forming noxious invisible biofilms on surfaces.
Researchers at the University of New Mexico and the University of Florida have developed polymer microspheres that trap and kill bacteria — in effect tiny antimicrobial “roach motels.”
Coatings made from these structures, technically known as “conjugated polyelectrolyte capsules,” have proved their mettle in the laboratory against a variety of bacteria and even some spores, raising the possibility that they could be effective against virulent strains, like anthrax, says biochemist David Whitten, associate director of UNM’s Center for Biomedical Engineering.
