New developments with antimicrobial viruses

Scientists from the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and University College London (UCL) have converted a breast milk protein into an artificial virus that kills bacteria on contact.

The antimicrobial activities of this protein are mainly due to a tiny fragment, less than a nanometer across, made up of six amino acids. Based on the metrology of antimicrobial mechanisms, the team predicted that copies of this fragment gather at the same time, and at the same point, to attack bacterial cells by targeting and disrupting microbial membranes.

For further details, see the news report from the U.S. National Physical Laboratory.


 Posted by Dr. Tim Sandle