PRESS RELEASE EMBARGO: 18TH MARCH 2011
University of Limerick Led Team Develops Hospital Textiles to kill MRSA Superbug
A European Research Team co-ordinated by leading Irish Research Institute, MSSI at the University of Limerick have
recently (18th March) announced the development of textiles which will kill the MRSA (Methicillin Resistant
Staphylococcus Aureus) superbug. The BioElectricSurface Research Team has used nanomaterials on textiles used in
hospital drapes, bed linens and upholstery. Nanomaterials, which are a thousand times smaller than a human hair, are
known to possess extra-ordinary properties that the team has harnessed to develop this technology to fight MRSA.
The MRSA bug is one of the major causes of hospital-acquired infections. In June 2007, the European Centre for Disease
Prevention (ECDC) identified anti-biotic resistant micro-organisms as the most important infectious disease threat in
Europe. One in 10 patients entering a European hospital can expect to catch an infection caused by drug-resistant
microbes. Every year, around 3 million people in the EU catch a healthcare-associated infection, resulting in
approximately 50,000 deaths.
Within the BioElectricSurface project, scientists and engineers from the University of Limerick, Ireland, Wroclaw
University of Technology, Poland, Wroclaw Medical University, Poland and Comenius University, Slovakia have been working
on developing this technology since 2008. They have embedded both commercial and custom-made nanoparticles into textiles
through a patent-pending process that is effective against MRSA and other superbugs. The patent pending process ensures
the nanoparticles adhere tightly to the textile which is an essential feature in commercialisation as it minimises
"free" or "loose" nanoparticles.
Coordinator of this research, Dr. Syed Tofail of the Materials and Surface Science Institute, University of Limerick,
expressed his excitement in the development of this new method as the social impact and commercial potential for such
technology are very high. The US and European market size for medical textiles was estimated to be over $7 billion and
current sales only meet one third of the market potential. ‘Our technology will be used to produce practical, economical
and effective products for this huge potential market,’ he adds.
According to Professor Noel O’Dowd, Director of the Materials and Surface Science Institute, “This is an excellent
example of translational research where fundamental studies have been successfully transformed into a practical
application. The use of MSSI’s state-of-the-art facilities and equipment has been pivotal to such successes”.
Dr. Ewa Dworniczek, a microbiologist from the Wroclaw Medical University, Poland and a member of the BioElectricSurface
team, notes ‘most textiles used in non-surgical environments are conventional, which partly gives rise to the spread of
infectious diseases even among patients who go to hospital for non-surgical care’. These garments can pose a public
health risk due to the inability of current hospital laundries to annihilate bacteria that have grown antibiotic
resistant in the hospital environment.
Team member, Professor Halina Podbielska, Director of the Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Instrumentation, at
Wroclaw University of Technology, Poland considers that the use of nanotechnology for such conventional, reusable
textiles with superior anti-microbial performance will also provide significant cost savings due to reusability. ‘Such
textiles’ she expects ‘will find ready use in the manufacture of reusable hospital garments for non-surgical
applications such as bedding, pillow covers, nurse’s uniforms etc.’
World Health Statistics 2007 show that there are 7.94 million nurses registered in Europe and USA. Assuming the average
cost of a standard reusable uniform to be around $40, the team estimates a total annual value of $634 million for this
segment alone.
The BioElectricSurface consortium is funded by the European Commission under its Framework 7 NMP- Nanosciences,
Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies programme. The project, which is led from the Materials and
Surface Science Institute (MSSI), University of Limerick, has received funding of €5million for this major transnational
research effort. The following partners are involved in the project: University of Limerick, Ireland; Wroclaw University
of Technology, Poland; Technical University Dresden, Germany; Danish Technological Institute, Denmark; Comenius
University, Slovakia; University Politehnica of Bucharest, Romania; Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, Peter
Brehm, Germany; Cook Medical, Ireland; Wroclaw Medical University, Poland; Balton Sp. Z.o.o., Poland and National
University Ireland, Galway, Ireland.
Industry enquires in tailoring this technology for particular textiles are welcomed. Contact the Project Coordinator Dr.
Tofail Syed by e-mail at Tofail.Syed@ul.ie or Exploitation Manager John Mulcahy at John.Mulcahy@ul.ie
The BioElectricSurface research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's Seventh
Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2011) under grant agreement n°212533. This communication reflects the views only of the
author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained
therein.
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