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360º PERSPECTIVES | ISSUE 7 | 2020/2021
Prototype strengthens fight against bacterial infections and possibly COVID-19 » The Biolabels Research Unit, a division of the DSI/Mintek Nanotechnology Innovation Centre at the University of the Western Cape’s Department of Biotechnology, is developing an antibacterial product that will indirectly aid the fight against COVID-19.
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NLIKE VIRUSES, WHICH CAN BE CONTROLLED
EFFECTIVELY using antiviral drugs and vaccines, bacteria are conventionally tackled with antibiotics. The Biolabels Unit, however, conducts research on the development of biogenic nanomaterials and nanotechnology for applications in the treatment of bacterial infections. The unit has
obtained a R5,4-million research grant to develop a prototype of a consumer product to fight bacterial infections. The ability of microorganisms to become increasingly resistant to antimicrobial agents to which they were previously susceptible is such a serious global challenge that the World Health Organisation considers the prevalence of multidrug-resistant microorganisms a global health threat. Professor Mervyn Meyer, the research unit’s director, says that until fairly recently, good hand hygiene practices and the use of sanitisers, disinfectants and antibacterial soaps were considered effective methods of preventing the spread of common bacterial skin infections. “The antibacterial agent most often used in hand sanitisers is alcohol. It is recommended