AI芯視界

Antibiotics are an important medicine but they are also known to have negative side effects and there are even "super bacteria" that are immune to antibiotics. However Korean researchers have developed a new technology that can treat wounds on the skin without antibiotics.
Kim Dami tells us more.
Antibiotics treat wounds by restricting the
spread of infection, but when used incorrectly, they can, in fact, be toxic. Antibiotic resistance not only takes away from the effectiveness of treatment but even leads to a rise in mutations or so-called "super bacteria".
"Antibiotics don't work on super bacteria so there is no treatment when infected by them. For elderly or critically ill patients with a weakened immune system, this is fatal."
In order to overcome this problem, a team of Korean researchers has developed a technology where skin wounds can be treated without antibiotics.
Based on the "metal-organic framework" used on industrial sites, the research team has found a way to incorporate Zirconium.
The shiny silver-grey metal is highly ductile and extremely resistant to corrosion and heat, but its effect when applied to the skin, suppresses inflammation and catches elements like active oxygen molecules and immunity proteins, that interfere with the wound recovery process.
The substance was applied to a wound on a mouse, and the wound healed in just 2 weeks.
"It has these proteins called cytokines that reduce inflammation. Extracting these proteins brings the effe
ct of speeding up the healing of wounds." This substance has high bio-stability, which means it is safe for use on the human body and is designed to break down and naturally discharge out of the body.
The research team says the next step would be to go beyond external wounds on the skin, and turn this substance into a pill for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Kim Dami, Arirang News.