A Special ‘Stained Glass’ Can Help Kill Hospital ‘Superbugs’

A team of researchers from Aston University in Birmingham, in the United Kingdom, has recently applied a technique similar to that of staining glass to develop a safer, medical-grade material.

The lead investigator, Richard Martin, notes that this new “stained glass” has potent antimicrobial properties, and it could become a cheap alternative to other materials that we currently use in medical tools, also minimizing a person’s risk of infection while in the hospital.

This research led to the creation of a bioactive phosphate glass — a type of material that is able to interact with biological tissue. The glass is “stained” with the chemical compound cobalt oxide, versions of which are useful as a pigment that helps generate blue tints.

According to the investigators, this material can effectively kill bacteria and fungi, including microbes that are or can become resistant to antibiotic treatments.

These microbes include Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, and Staphylococcus aureus, the latter of which can develop into MRSA (methicillin-resistant S. aureus).

“These glasses provide localized delivery at the surgical site to stop infections from forming in the first place. Once an infection has had time to establish itself, it is much harder to treat, because complex bacterial biofilms start to form, which are much tougher to tackle,” – MedicalNewsToday