The
purpose of this experiment was to develop and assess bacterial biofilm
formation and identify their unique VOC profiles to help stop the creation of
antibiotic resistant bacteria at an early stage. It was also to supply
experimental models to assess theranostics (combining specific targeted therapy based on
specific targeted diagnostic tests). The scientists grew
biofilms on plastic coverslips for one, three, and five days, at 37 degrees
Celsius in incisional and excisional human cutaneous wound tissues in a
specific broth medium. They used six different methods to evaluate the
formations and their structure was reviewed. The Volatile organic compounds
(VOCs), which are unique to various disease states and can be associated with
these certain biofilms, were identified using gas chromatography. All their
experiments were done twice in triplicate for accuracy in their results.
Some
flaws were that they had only used three bacterial strains and that the ex vivo
study did not have the ability to have completely controlled conditions and it
could’ve impacted the VOCs. The conclusions of the experiment were that they
identified 12 specific peaks associated with biofilm growth and development
based on the present VOCs and successfully cultured three pathogenic bacterial
biofilms and paved the way for potential clinical applicability of diagnosing
of cutaneous wound infections. The findings will allow other scientists to use
their experimental models and findings to understand delayed wound healing and
stop antibiotic resistant bacteria before an infection is allowed to heal.
1. Do they expect to be able to stop MRSA in any way soon? Or will it be much later in time?
ReplyDelete2. What types of VOCs or bacterias exist in these biofilms?
1. What types of bacteria did they use?
ReplyDelete2. What other compounds did they find with the GC?
1. What bacterial species were found in the biofilms?
ReplyDelete2. What is the current antibiotic used to treat biofilms? Does one exist yet?
1. Are there medical centers known for their theranostics programs? Which schools?
ReplyDelete2. What conditions were controlled in the experiment?
1. How recent was this study?
ReplyDelete2. Are there any other fields this research and findings can be applicable to?
1. Which other bacteria have these new antibiotics responded to?
ReplyDelete2. Which VOCs specifically made the staff bacteria antibiotics the most successful?
1. What types of compounds did the GC find in the biofilms?
ReplyDelete2. How will scientists use the GC to improve antibiotic resistance?
1. Do we know if the results could apply to other bacterial strains besides the ones studied?
ReplyDelete2. How can they isolate the specific reasons behind the causes of the peaks if there are so many bacteria?
1. Are there medical centers known for their theranostics program? Which schools?
ReplyDeleteI did not find a complete list of schools with the top theranostics program, but the one school that had multiple studies including Theranostics was the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine. They had multiple studies published about their theranostics program.
http://gsm.utmck.edu/research/ACTP/main.cfm
2. How recent was this study?
This study was published in 2018. This study is extremely recent, but it may have took one to two years for the work to be reviewed and published into an article.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-27504-z
3. What types of compounds did the GC find in the biofilms?
The GC found twelve peaks which indicated 3-methylbutanal, pentanal, hydrogen cyanide, 5-methyl-2-hexanamine, 5-methyl-2-heptamine, 2-nonanone, 2-undecanone, 2-methyl-1-propanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, 2-methyl-1-propanol, and 3-methyl-1-butanol.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-27504-z
4. Are there any other fields this research can be applicable to?
This research can be applied to cancer treatment. The University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine is using to combat cancer. This research could be the some of the first blocks towards fighting cancer through theranostics.
http://gsm.utmck.edu/research/ACTP/main.cfm