Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed copper-loaded starch nanoparticles that can be “broken down by specific bacteria to release antibacterial copper molecules.”

The hope is that these nanoparticles can be used to “target microbial communities, called biofilms, which account for 50-70% of healthcare-associated infections.” Nanoparticles were a previous target for bacteria, but they would “fail to work in clinical settings because they are not soluble in water and are not stable enough to work properly.” They also need to be non-toxic while “remaining in the body at high enough concentrations to be effective.”

The researchers used starch in this study to “act as a stabilizer and carrier for copper nanoparticles.” Starch has a “positive charge that is attracted to the negative charge on the surface of bacteria.” These copper-loaded nanoparticles were “effective against Staphylococcus aureus, a common cause of healthcare-associated infections, and Bacillus subtilis.” This made them more effective than what was seen in previous studies.

These results suggest that “copper-loaded starch nanoparticles can also be used to target microbial communities, often found in wound infections, especially if multiple bacterial species can make amylase.”