Limerick team’s nanotech beats MRSA

TEXTILES that kill the hospital superbug MRSA have been developed by scientists in Limerick.

A research team used nanomaterials for textiles used in hospital drapes, bed linens and upholstery to fight killer infections.

The materials, 1,000 times smaller than a human hair, are known to possess extraordinary properties. Scientists said that when embedded on hospital materials through a patent-pending process, which ensures the nanoparticles stick tightly to the textile, they stop infections spreading.

The European research team behind the discovery was co-ordinated by a leading research institute at the University of Limerick.

Dr Syed Tofail of the Materials and Surface Science Institute said the social impact and commercial potential for the development was very high.

“Our technology will be used to produce practical, economical and effective products for this hugely potential market,” he said.

Every year, about three million people in the EU catch a healthcare-associated infection, resulting in some 50,000 deaths.

The BioElectricSurface team, who have been working on this technology since 2008, secured €5m from the European Commission. It included researchers from NUI Galway, Cook Medical and scientists and engineers from Poland, Germany, Denmark, Slovakia, Romania and Israel.