Hongjun (Henry) Liang, Ph.D. of TTUHSC, received a patent that allows his lab to produce new nanoparticles known as nanoantibiotics that can kill certain pathogens that lead to infection without affecting healthy cells. Image credit: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Hongjun (Henry) Liang, Ph.D., of the Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics at Texas Tech University Sciences Center (TTUHSC), has focused his research on creating new nanoparticles known as nanoantibiotics that treat bacterial infections, particularly those that are resistant to treatment with commonly used antibiotics, to find solutions to the problem of antibiotic resistance. As of July 26, 2022, a US patent titled “Hydrophilic Nanostructured Active Antimicrobial Membranes with High Activity, Selectivity, and Biodegradability” had been issued in connection with Liang’s work, allowing Liang’s lab group to manufacture the innovative nanoantibiotics. We already have many antibiotics in clinical use, and many of them are quite effective against common infections. But we face this growing challenge with MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus) and other types of drug-resistant bacteria, which are the bacteria that turn common infections into life-threatening events. Hongjun Liang, Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Liang wants to create a new class of antibiotics that can kill bacteria without harming healthy cells, degrade naturally in the environment and biosphere so that they do not disrupt natural bacterial activity in natural environments, and are less likely to lead to resistance. A molecule’s ability to repel water (hydrophobia) or attract water and dissolve in it (hydrophilicity) has been shown to have a significant impact on cells in previous studies. According to Liang, a material will have a higher negative effect the more hydrophobic it is. He emphasized that there is, however, no quantitative benchmark for the acceptable level of hydrophobicity. Liang added, “Basically, you can kill bacteria when you increase the hydrophobicity. But it will also kill healthy cells and we don’t want that.” The Liang team created unique hydrophilic nanoantibiotics in a study published in January 2022 in Nature Communications. These nanoantibiotics had the appearance of tiny hairy spheres and were made of many hydrophilic polymer brushes grafted with silica nanoparticles of various sizes. These man-made substances, also produced by Liang’s lab, are intended to kill bacteria by disrupting their membranes using a distinct membrane remodeling method that affects bacterial membranes while leaving mammalian cells intact. This was the third paper on nanoantibiotics published by the Liang lab. The first and second papers describing the hydrophilic nanoantibiotic design approach were published in 2017 by ACS Infectious Disease and in 2020 by Biomacromolecules. Both were highlighted by Chemical & Engineering News and featured as covers in their respective journals. Liang said his team is now focusing on a two-pronged approach to enhance and improve nanoantibiotics for use in patients, armed with the three published findings and the patent. The push for clinical trials is the first strategy, which Liang defined as the research and academic element of his approach. The Liang lab will begin this process by submitting new applications for federal funding that supports animal studies and ultimately results in human clinical trials. He stated, “This is more like the research and academic side of our endeavor.” Partnering with the Texas Tech University Innovation Hub to help commercialize Liang’s lab’s invention is the second element of his approach. “By taking the research commercialization training opportunity from our Innovation Hub, we hope to be able to identify interested parties in the pharmaceutical industry who are able or willing to work with us. One of our possible directions is to apply for an SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) grant for pilot-scale production. This is our two-pronged approach,” said Liang. Contamination is a major concern for both scientists and physicians, according to Liang. By harnessing innovation to develop a new generation of antibiotics, he hopes to overcome this problem. Liang concluded, “This is our goal and we are well on our way to it. I cannot say that this is the only way forward. of course, there are many different ways. The innovation of our contribution is to address this challenge by designing antibiotics from a nanoengineering perspective. This is a very new path that has not been well explored and we are proud of our progress so far.” Source:
title: “Us Patent For Nanoantibiotics To Combat Antibiotic Resistance Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-30” author: “Minnie Daniels”
Hongjun (Henry) Liang, Ph.D. of TTUHSC, received a patent that allows his lab to produce new nanoparticles known as nanoantibiotics that can kill certain pathogens that lead to infection without affecting healthy cells. Image credit: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Hongjun (Henry) Liang, Ph.D., of the Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics at Texas Tech University Sciences Center (TTUHSC), has focused his research on creating new nanoparticles known as nanoantibiotics that treat bacterial infections, particularly those that are resistant to treatment with commonly used antibiotics, to find solutions to the problem of antibiotic resistance. As of July 26, 2022, a US patent titled “Hydrophilic Nanostructured Active Antimicrobial Membranes with High Activity, Selectivity, and Biodegradability” had been issued in connection with Liang’s work, allowing Liang’s lab group to manufacture the innovative nanoantibiotics. We already have many antibiotics in clinical use, and many of them are quite effective against common infections. But we face this growing challenge with MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus) and other types of drug-resistant bacteria, which are the bacteria that turn common infections into life-threatening events. Hongjun Liang, Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Liang wants to create a new class of antibiotics that can kill bacteria without harming healthy cells, degrade naturally in the environment and biosphere so that they do not disrupt natural bacterial activity in natural environments, and are less likely to lead to resistance. A molecule’s ability to repel water (hydrophobia) or attract water and dissolve in it (hydrophilicity) has been shown to have a significant impact on cells in previous studies. According to Liang, a material will have a higher negative effect the more hydrophobic it is. He emphasized that there is, however, no quantitative benchmark for the acceptable level of hydrophobicity. Liang added, “Basically, you can kill bacteria when you increase the hydrophobicity. But it will also kill healthy cells and we don’t want that.” The Liang team created unique hydrophilic nanoantibiotics in a study published in January 2022 in Nature Communications. These nanoantibiotics had the appearance of tiny hairy spheres and were made of many hydrophilic polymer brushes grafted with silica nanoparticles of various sizes. These man-made substances, also produced by Liang’s lab, are intended to kill bacteria by disrupting their membranes using a distinct membrane remodeling method that affects bacterial membranes while leaving mammalian cells intact. This was the third paper on nanoantibiotics published by the Liang lab. The first and second papers describing the hydrophilic nanoantibiotic design approach were published in 2017 by ACS Infectious Disease and in 2020 by Biomacromolecules. Both were highlighted by Chemical & Engineering News and featured as covers in their respective journals. Liang said his team is now focusing on a two-pronged approach to enhance and improve nanoantibiotics for use in patients, armed with the three published findings and the patent. The push for clinical trials is the first strategy, which Liang defined as the research and academic element of his approach. The Liang lab will begin this process by submitting new applications for federal funding that supports animal studies and ultimately results in human clinical trials. He stated, “This is more like the research and academic side of our endeavor.” Partnering with the Texas Tech University Innovation Hub to help commercialize Liang’s lab’s invention is the second element of his approach. “By taking the research commercialization training opportunity from our Innovation Hub, we hope to be able to identify interested parties in the pharmaceutical industry who are able or willing to work with us. One of our possible directions is to apply for an SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) grant for pilot-scale production. This is our two-pronged approach,” said Liang. Contamination is a major concern for both scientists and physicians, according to Liang. By harnessing innovation to develop a new generation of antibiotics, he hopes to overcome this problem. Liang concluded, “This is our goal and we are well on our way to it. I cannot say that this is the only way forward. of course, there are many different ways. The innovation of our contribution is to address this challenge by designing antibiotics from a nanoengineering perspective. This is a very new path that has not been well explored and we are proud of our progress so far.” Source:
title: “Us Patent For Nanoantibiotics To Combat Antibiotic Resistance Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-22” author: “Steven Edson”
Hongjun (Henry) Liang, Ph.D. of TTUHSC, received a patent that allows his lab to produce new nanoparticles known as nanoantibiotics that can kill certain pathogens that lead to infection without affecting healthy cells. Image credit: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Hongjun (Henry) Liang, Ph.D., of the Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics at Texas Tech University Sciences Center (TTUHSC), has focused his research on creating new nanoparticles known as nanoantibiotics that treat bacterial infections, particularly those that are resistant to treatment with commonly used antibiotics, to find solutions to the problem of antibiotic resistance. As of July 26, 2022, a US patent titled “Hydrophilic Nanostructured Active Antimicrobial Membranes with High Activity, Selectivity, and Biodegradability” had been issued in connection with Liang’s work, allowing Liang’s lab group to manufacture the innovative nanoantibiotics. We already have many antibiotics in clinical use, and many of them are quite effective against common infections. But we face this growing challenge with MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus) and other types of drug-resistant bacteria, which are the bacteria that turn common infections into life-threatening events. Hongjun Liang, Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Liang wants to create a new class of antibiotics that can kill bacteria without harming healthy cells, degrade naturally in the environment and biosphere so that they do not disrupt natural bacterial activity in natural environments, and are less likely to lead to resistance. A molecule’s ability to repel water (hydrophobia) or attract water and dissolve in it (hydrophilicity) has been shown to have a significant impact on cells in previous studies. According to Liang, a material will have a higher negative effect the more hydrophobic it is. He emphasized that there is, however, no quantitative benchmark for the acceptable level of hydrophobicity. Liang added, “Basically, you can kill bacteria when you increase the hydrophobicity. But it will also kill healthy cells and we don’t want that.” The Liang team created unique hydrophilic nanoantibiotics in a study published in January 2022 in Nature Communications. These nanoantibiotics had the appearance of tiny hairy spheres and were made of many hydrophilic polymer brushes grafted with silica nanoparticles of various sizes. These man-made substances, also produced by Liang’s lab, are intended to kill bacteria by disrupting their membranes using a distinct membrane remodeling method that affects bacterial membranes while leaving mammalian cells intact. This was the third paper on nanoantibiotics published by the Liang lab. The first and second papers describing the hydrophilic nanoantibiotic design approach were published in 2017 by ACS Infectious Disease and in 2020 by Biomacromolecules. Both were highlighted by Chemical & Engineering News and featured as covers in their respective journals. Liang said his team is now focusing on a two-pronged approach to enhance and improve nanoantibiotics for use in patients, armed with the three published findings and the patent. The push for clinical trials is the first strategy, which Liang defined as the research and academic element of his approach. The Liang lab will begin this process by submitting new applications for federal funding that supports animal studies and ultimately results in human clinical trials. He stated, “This is more like the research and academic side of our endeavor.” Partnering with the Texas Tech University Innovation Hub to help commercialize Liang’s lab’s invention is the second element of his approach. “By taking the research commercialization training opportunity from our Innovation Hub, we hope to be able to identify interested parties in the pharmaceutical industry who are able or willing to work with us. One of our possible directions is to apply for an SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) grant for pilot-scale production. This is our two-pronged approach,” said Liang. Contamination is a major concern for both scientists and physicians, according to Liang. By harnessing innovation to develop a new generation of antibiotics, he hopes to overcome this problem. Liang concluded, “This is our goal and we are well on our way to it. I cannot say that this is the only way forward. of course, there are many different ways. The innovation of our contribution is to address this challenge by designing antibiotics from a nanoengineering perspective. This is a very new path that has not been well explored and we are proud of our progress so far.” Source:
title: “Us Patent For Nanoantibiotics To Combat Antibiotic Resistance Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-01” author: “Barbara Cox”
Hongjun (Henry) Liang, Ph.D. of TTUHSC, received a patent that allows his lab to produce new nanoparticles known as nanoantibiotics that can kill certain pathogens that lead to infection without affecting healthy cells. Image credit: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Hongjun (Henry) Liang, Ph.D., of the Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics at Texas Tech University Sciences Center (TTUHSC), has focused his research on creating new nanoparticles known as nanoantibiotics that treat bacterial infections, particularly those that are resistant to treatment with commonly used antibiotics, to find solutions to the problem of antibiotic resistance. As of July 26, 2022, a US patent titled “Hydrophilic Nanostructured Active Antimicrobial Membranes with High Activity, Selectivity, and Biodegradability” had been issued in connection with Liang’s work, allowing Liang’s lab group to manufacture the innovative nanoantibiotics. We already have many antibiotics in clinical use, and many of them are quite effective against common infections. But we face this growing challenge with MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus) and other types of drug-resistant bacteria, which are the bacteria that turn common infections into life-threatening events. Hongjun Liang, Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Liang wants to create a new class of antibiotics that can kill bacteria without harming healthy cells, degrade naturally in the environment and biosphere so that they do not disrupt natural bacterial activity in natural environments, and are less likely to lead to resistance. A molecule’s ability to repel water (hydrophobia) or attract water and dissolve in it (hydrophilicity) has been shown to have a significant impact on cells in previous studies. According to Liang, a material will have a higher negative effect the more hydrophobic it is. He emphasized that there is, however, no quantitative benchmark for the acceptable level of hydrophobicity. Liang added, “Basically, you can kill bacteria when you increase the hydrophobicity. But it will also kill healthy cells and we don’t want that.” The Liang team created unique hydrophilic nanoantibiotics in a study published in January 2022 in Nature Communications. These nanoantibiotics had the appearance of tiny hairy spheres and were made of many hydrophilic polymer brushes grafted with silica nanoparticles of various sizes. These man-made substances, also produced by Liang’s lab, are intended to kill bacteria by disrupting their membranes using a distinct membrane remodeling method that affects bacterial membranes while leaving mammalian cells intact. This was the third paper on nanoantibiotics published by the Liang lab. The first and second papers describing the hydrophilic nanoantibiotic design approach were published in 2017 by ACS Infectious Disease and in 2020 by Biomacromolecules. Both were highlighted by Chemical & Engineering News and featured as covers in their respective journals. Liang said his team is now focusing on a two-pronged approach to enhance and improve nanoantibiotics for use in patients, armed with the three published findings and the patent. The push for clinical trials is the first strategy, which Liang defined as the research and academic element of his approach. The Liang lab will begin this process by submitting new applications for federal funding that supports animal studies and ultimately results in human clinical trials. He stated, “This is more like the research and academic side of our endeavor.” Partnering with the Texas Tech University Innovation Hub to help commercialize Liang’s lab’s invention is the second element of his approach. “By taking the research commercialization training opportunity from our Innovation Hub, we hope to be able to identify interested parties in the pharmaceutical industry who are able or willing to work with us. One of our possible directions is to apply for an SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) grant for pilot-scale production. This is our two-pronged approach,” said Liang. Contamination is a major concern for both scientists and physicians, according to Liang. By harnessing innovation to develop a new generation of antibiotics, he hopes to overcome this problem. Liang concluded, “This is our goal and we are well on our way to it. I cannot say that this is the only way forward. of course, there are many different ways. The innovation of our contribution is to address this challenge by designing antibiotics from a nanoengineering perspective. This is a very new path that has not been well explored and we are proud of our progress so far.” Source:
title: “Us Patent For Nanoantibiotics To Combat Antibiotic Resistance Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-28” author: “Daniel Folmer”
Hongjun (Henry) Liang, Ph.D. of TTUHSC, received a patent that allows his lab to produce new nanoparticles known as nanoantibiotics that can kill certain pathogens that lead to infection without affecting healthy cells. Image credit: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Hongjun (Henry) Liang, Ph.D., of the Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics at Texas Tech University Sciences Center (TTUHSC), has focused his research on creating new nanoparticles known as nanoantibiotics that treat bacterial infections, particularly those that are resistant to treatment with commonly used antibiotics, to find solutions to the problem of antibiotic resistance. As of July 26, 2022, a US patent titled “Hydrophilic Nanostructured Active Antimicrobial Membranes with High Activity, Selectivity, and Biodegradability” had been issued in connection with Liang’s work, allowing Liang’s lab group to manufacture the innovative nanoantibiotics. We already have many antibiotics in clinical use, and many of them are quite effective against common infections. But we face this growing challenge with MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus) and other types of drug-resistant bacteria, which are the bacteria that turn common infections into life-threatening events. Hongjun Liang, Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Liang wants to create a new class of antibiotics that can kill bacteria without harming healthy cells, degrade naturally in the environment and biosphere so that they do not disrupt natural bacterial activity in natural environments, and are less likely to lead to resistance. A molecule’s ability to repel water (hydrophobia) or attract water and dissolve in it (hydrophilicity) has been shown to have a significant impact on cells in previous studies. According to Liang, a material will have a higher negative effect the more hydrophobic it is. He emphasized that there is, however, no quantitative benchmark for the acceptable level of hydrophobicity. Liang added, “Basically, you can kill bacteria when you increase the hydrophobicity. But it will also kill healthy cells and we don’t want that.” The Liang team created unique hydrophilic nanoantibiotics in a study published in January 2022 in Nature Communications. These nanoantibiotics had the appearance of tiny hairy spheres and were made of many hydrophilic polymer brushes grafted with silica nanoparticles of various sizes. These man-made substances, also produced by Liang’s lab, are intended to kill bacteria by disrupting their membranes using a distinct membrane remodeling method that affects bacterial membranes while leaving mammalian cells intact. This was the third paper on nanoantibiotics published by the Liang lab. The first and second papers describing the hydrophilic nanoantibiotic design approach were published in 2017 by ACS Infectious Disease and in 2020 by Biomacromolecules. Both were highlighted by Chemical & Engineering News and featured as covers in their respective journals. Liang said his team is now focusing on a two-pronged approach to enhance and improve nanoantibiotics for use in patients, armed with the three published findings and the patent. The push for clinical trials is the first strategy, which Liang defined as the research and academic element of his approach. The Liang lab will begin this process by submitting new applications for federal funding that supports animal studies and ultimately results in human clinical trials. He stated, “This is more like the research and academic side of our endeavor.” Partnering with the Texas Tech University Innovation Hub to help commercialize Liang’s lab’s invention is the second element of his approach. “By taking the research commercialization training opportunity from our Innovation Hub, we hope to be able to identify interested parties in the pharmaceutical industry who are able or willing to work with us. One of our possible directions is to apply for an SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) grant for pilot-scale production. This is our two-pronged approach,” said Liang. Contamination is a major concern for both scientists and physicians, according to Liang. By harnessing innovation to develop a new generation of antibiotics, he hopes to overcome this problem. Liang concluded, “This is our goal and we are well on our way to it. I cannot say that this is the only way forward. of course, there are many different ways. The innovation of our contribution is to address this challenge by designing antibiotics from a nanoengineering perspective. This is a very new path that has not been well explored and we are proud of our progress so far.” Source:
