Humans are multicellular creatures each comprised of trillions of cells. Oddly enough, bacteria in our bodies outnumber our human cells by 10:1, although their size is, on average, about one tenth of a human cell. When seen in this light, humans really are part human and part bacteria. We are dependent on the maintenance of a delicate balance between human cells and bacterial cells for good health as we coexist with bacteria in a symbiotic relationship. There are estimated to be between 500-1,000 species of bacteria living in the human gut and skin. Some of our bacteria are known to perform certain tasks that are critical. Without our bacteria, for instance, we would be unable to digest and process our food intake. These commensal bacteria are widely known as our “flora”. Too many of any one kind of bacteria, and we are left in poor health. Bacteria, therefore, play a very important role in human health and human disease. Read more »
We are pleased to announce the spin-off of our subsidiary, Sinuwave Technologies Corporation, which is dedicated to the development and commercialization of photodisinfection based products for the treatment of chronic sinusitis. Millions of people suffer from chronic sinusitis and look to antibiotics and surgery for relief. However, there are over 400,000 sinusitis sufferers in just the US market, growing by about 10% annually, for whom surgery and antibiotics are ineffective. We are convinced that the proven antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties of photodisinfection can address the needs of this market. Photodisinfection has been proven, in studies around the world, to be a highly effective non-antibiotic approach to biofilm infections (and their virulence factors) such as those involved with sinusitis. Read more »
It’s been a while since my last entry, so I am wrapping up this topic today. My apologies to anyone I left waiting for the conclusion.
In my first post on antibiotic resistance, I quoted German immunologist and Nobel Laureate Paul Ehrlich. It is only fitting, then, that I frame my conclusion to this set of posts around something that Ehrlich dreamed of: The Magic Bullet. Read more »
Michael Wilson
Michael Wilson, GRSC, MSc, PhD, DSc, FRCPath
Pro-Provost for Europe, UCL
Professor of Microbiology, Eastman Dental Institute, University College London
I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Professor Wilson and to share with you why he is well deserving of this recognition. In this day of Hollywood induced hero worship, there is insufficient recognition paid to the true heroes among us. Far too much attention is given to the wrong kinds of people, in my view, and not enough on those who make a real and lasting difference to mankind. Professor Wilson is a true global hero as his innovative work will lead to many lives saved and much human suffering alleviated. Read more »
Photodisinfection, also known in the scientific community as aPDT (short for antimicrobial photodynamic therapy), was the brainchild of Professor Michael Wilson at the Eastman Dental Institute, University College London. Funded by Eastman Kodak, the well known multi-national corporation, Professor Wilson was inspired to combine light therapy with a photosensitive agent to kill off harmful gram negative bacteria associated with gum diseases. Read more »
A global crisis is looming right under our noses. Every year millions of people will contract serious infections; tens of thousands will die. A growing number of our staple of antibiotics are being rendered less and less effective. Superbug infections, whether from the hospital or community, have affected nearly every family. The toll on quality of life is tremendous and the size of the economic costs are well into the billions annually. The social costs cannot be quantified as serious infections can have an impact lasting for many years, both emotionally and physically.
Most of us take for granted that there will always be an antibiotic to cure our infections. Too few of us fully understand the degree to which resistance has undermined and compromised many of our antibiotics. Few, if any, new antibiotics are being created due to the cost (up to $1 billion) and time (ten years) required to get new antibiotics to market. It is therefore no longer safe to assume that there will be an effective antibiotic to control your next infection or save the life of your loved ones.
How did we come to this? Simply, through misuse and overuse of our antibiotics. Repetitive exposure to subtherapeutic doses of antibiotics has been proven to generate resistance to even the most complex antibiotics. Americans consume over 25 million pounds of antibiotics every year; over 60% of this antibiotic usage is prescribed with diagnostic uncertainty and to placate demanding patients. An estimated 55-70% of the antibiotics used in the United States each year are used as feed additives for chickens, hogs, and beef cattle not to treat disease, but rather to promote growth and enable greater concentrations of animals in smaller spaces. A Google search of “MRSA in pork” is enough to turn one into a vegetarian as even touching raw pork today can cause skin infections. Read more »
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