Rationally designed Magnetic Particles enable Capturing and Detection of Bacterial Pathogens

In this work we highlight magnetic blood purification as possible therapy for blood stream infections [1-2], where circulating pathogens are at first removed from the bodily fluid and subsequently recovered and analyzed. (Fig. 1) This process would result in an immediate therapeutic benefit for the patient, while also considerably shortening the diagnosis process, a critical step which heavily affects the final outcome of the treatment. Finally, the use of a newly developed human IgG1 monoclonal antibody against poly-N-acetylglucosamine (PNAG) as targeting moiety extends this therapy to the majority of the pathogens responsible for the most frequent nosocomial infections. We show an experimental proof-of-concept study along with an optimization of carrier-pathogen interactions based on a mathematical model and an investigations on the process safety [3].
[1] I. K. Herrmann, M. Urner, F. M. Koehler, M. Hasler, B. Roth-Z’Graggen, R. N. Grass, U. Ziegler, B. Beck-Schimmer, and W. J. Stark, Small, 2010, 6, 1388
[2] I. K. Herrmann , M. Urner, S. Graf , C. M. Schumacher , B. Roth-Z’graggen , M. Hasler , W. J. Stark , and B. Beck-Schimmer, Adv. Healthcare Mater., 2013, 2, 829–835
[3] M. Lattuada, Q. Ren, F. Zuber, M. Galli, N. Bohmer, A. Wichser, S. Bertazzo, G. B. Pier and I. K. Herrmann, J. Mater Chem. B, under review.