Rotello Delivers Keynote at Science Teachers’ Conference

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Vincent Rotello, Distinguished Professor of chemistry, delivered the Nov. 2 keynote, “Multidisciplinary Thinking Outside the Box: Fighting Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria using Nanomaterials,” at the annual conference of the Massachusetts Association of Science Teachers in Boxborough.

Rotello talked about his work on the emergence of new antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which is rapidly accelerating, with strains resistant to all known antibiotics beginning to be observed. These multi-drug-resistant (MDR) bacteria are a rapidly emerging threat to human health, causing thousands of deaths each year in the U.S. alone.

Rotello says, “In our research we have brought together chemistry, biology and even a bit of physics to create new nanosponges 100-300 nanometers in diameter. These nanosponges are highly effective against bacteria and are not harmful to mammalian cells (including red blood cells), making them promising treatments for both wound and internal infections.”