By Chardelle Prevatt – February 27, 2017 Polysaccharides, or polymers that consist of a chain of sugar residues, are commonly used by pathogenic bacteria to counter host defences. By coating the bacterial surface in a protective layer, polysaccharides play vital roles in mediating host-pathogen interactions. Polysaccharide production is an energy expensive process. Bacteria have evolved […]
Tag: bacteria
US DoD awards US$1.5M to GlycoNet antimicrobial research program
Funding will focus on the development of antibiofilm therapeutics By Chardelle Prevatt – November 23, 2016 GlycoNet investigators, Dr. Donald Sheppard (a clinician scientist) and Dr. Lynne Howell (a structural biologist) have joined forces against bacterial and fungal pathogens responsible for pulmonary diseases. During a pulmonary infection, the pathogens Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Aspergillus fumigatus commonly form an exopolysaccharide-rich biofilm within lung tissues. […]
Hybrid Antibiotic Created With Molecular ‘Rope’ Kills Resistant Bacteria
By Alex Berezow — October 4, 2016 Hybrid antibiotic created with a molecular “rope” Due to increasing antibiotic resistance, microbiologists are on the lookout for unconventional ways to kill bacteria. Atypical methods range from phage therapy, in which bacteria-killing viruses are unleashed upon the microbes, to the use of “bed-of-nails” surfaces that physically rip bacteria apart. […]
Disassembling bacteria’s protective walls
A multidisciplinary team of GlycoNet investigators is making strides towards taking down drug-resistant bacteria By Alexandria Daum A bacterial or fungal infection is difficult enough to treat, but when these infections form protective biofilms, it makes them even more stubborn. Now, the solution being explored by GlycoNet scientists is to prevent the biofilm from forming […]
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