Israeli Particles Fight Germs, Kill Bacteria

The Fellowship  |  August 16, 2018

The latest instance of Israeli innovation may just clean up, and we’re not only speaking financially. The Times of Israel’s Shoshanna Solomon tells us about a startup that has developed particles that get rid of germs and bacteria as soon as they land on a surface:

An Israeli startup, Nobio Ltd., says it has developed particles that, when infused into a surface, kill germs as they land on that surface.

The technology will help fight bacterial infectious diseases, which account for 15 percent of global deaths, the company said…

Once germs settle on a surface they grow rapidly and colonize the area by creating a glue-like matrix called biofilm, which makes the bacteria 1,000 times more resistant to antibiotics, disinfectants and the immune system. Biofilm can be found on medical devices placed in bodies — contact lenses, dental fillings, implants and catheters.

Enter Nobio, whose anti-microbial particles bind with a wide range of materials and can be incorporated into them, such as contact lenses, tooth fillings and implants. As bacteria approach the surface, the particles exert strongly attractive electrostatic forces. On contact the membranes of the bacteria are disrupted, causing them to die.

The particles can be incorporated into any material, on which no bacteria can then grow or survive, explained Ashery. They are killed on contact…