Dr. Hong Liang's research on how gold nanoparticles can destroy superbacteria in the human body such as Escheria coli and drug-resistant Staphococcus aureus was featured on Popular Mechanics. Liang is a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University.
As bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics and other drugs, gold nanoparticles may be the answer to the future of medicine. Nanoparticles disrupt physical processes, rather than biological ones, so microbes are less likely to be able to find workarounds to the damage they cause, according to Liang.
Implanted medical devices often cause infections in the human body, as they provide a foreign surface for bacteria to adhere to. Some bacteria, like MRSA, can form "biofilms" on these surfaces. Biofilms are congregations of organisms that are all but impenetrable even to the most powerful antibiotics. Gold nanoparticles with titanium dioxide kill bacteria on contact. The combined metals siphon off electrons from the bacteria, with gold spurring the titanium dioxide into action. Unable to sustain their basic respiratory functions without the electrons, the bacteria die.