Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Make a sustaining gift today to support local journalism!

A Fantastic Voyage to Kill Superbugs

Photo by Microbe World, courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons
Photo by Microbe World, courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

Nano-technology is enabling breakthroughs in a number of scientific fields at an unimaginably small scale. Consider that the basic unit of measurement for nano-particles is 40,000 times smaller than the width of the average human hair.  Recently, researchers at MIT and Brigham and Women’s Hospital developed a nano-particle capable of infiltrating the human immune system and delivering a targeted dose of powerful antibiotics. Aleks Radovic-Moreno is lead author of a paper published in the journal ACS Nano that describes the work of these real life researchers,  and as he explained to NHPR’s Brady Carlson, nano-particle antibiotics could be put to use against a growing medical threat.

 

Brady Carlson’s latest role at NHPR is actually two roles: reporting for NHPR’s news team, while also hosting Weekend Edition on Saturdays and Sundays.
Related Content

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.