Ellen Helferich
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Research Mentor(s): Angela Violi
Co-Presenter: Bonds, Laura
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Mechanical Engineering / Engineering
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: Session 1 – 10am – 10:50am
Room: League Ballroom
Authors: Ellen Helferich, Laura Bonds, Angela Violi, Emine Sumeyra Turali Emre
Presenter: 14
Abstract
As antibiotic resistant bacteria become a common and expensive issue in the health field, most specifically in hospitals, an unexpected solution is found. The discovery of antimicrobial nanoparticles as treatment will be a cheaper, more accessible alternative to the long development time and high-cost traditional antibiotics offer. As part of BlueSky Initiatives, the Violi Lab, in collaboration with other University of Michigan labs, will make use of machine learning, biological experimentation, and microscopic simulations to launch a new generation of medicine. The undergraduate study extracts data, including the used nanoparticle description, zones of inhibition for common bacteria, bacterial survival percentage, colony forming units (CFU/ml), and minimum inhibitory concentration, from previous vetted scientific literature and experiments to collect data on antimicrobial nanoparticle-bacteria interactions. Currently, results from approximately 275 papers suggest that certain nanoparticles significantly reduce hospital-acquired infections like E. coli, S. aureus (MRSA), K. Pneumoniae, and P. aeruginosa. The nanoparticles are usually developed from metals and metal oxides, like Ag, ZnO, Au, and CuO, sometimes with various coatings and ligands. The application of certain nanoparticles to common bacteria is effective in preventing the growth of infection, similar to traditional antibiotics. Although still in progress, once sufficient interaction data is collected, the project will proceed with consolidating the current Excel inputted data into a uniform database. Having preliminary data regarding the nanoparticles in a comprehensive database will greatly reduce pharmaceutical research and development time, bringing life-saving medication to patients much more quickly and cost-effectively.
Engineering
