When it comes to 3D printing, the sky is the limit. As 3D printing technology continues to advance, applications can be as far reaching as airplane and automobile parts to medical devices and even anatomically correct, biocompatible models. Although 3D printing technology is developing at a rapid pace, the technology itself is not new. It emerged in the 1980s as a means of creating rapid prototypes. In recent years the applications for 3D printed models have evolved with the available hardware, software, and printable materials. Evolving technology, paired with the creative and innovative minds of scientists, engineers, and physicians, has been the launching pad for developments within 3D printing technology specific to healthcare. One way 3D printing technology is poised to create better patient outcomes is in creating an anatomically and patient-specific models to aid in surgery and medical procedures. With the capability to 3D ...
Researchers at the U.K.’s University of Wolverhampton have developed a new biopolymer that protects beneficial bacteria as they travel through the digestive tract. The new technology could also be used for drug delivery and to increase calcium absorption, according to the Society for General Microbiology press release.
Probiotic foods contain live beneficial bacteria that may help maintain and improve gut health, strengthen immunity, fight gastrointestinal and respiratory disorders, and show anti-tumor effects. But beneficial bacteria can’t do probiotic work in the intestines if the bacteria cannot survive the hostile environment of stomach acid. Enhanced ability to deliver probiotics to intestines could provide a major boost for the probiotics industry, according to a press release.
Iza, a senior lecturer in microbiology at the University, is leading the research, and explained it in a statement:
Our research uses a novel biodegradable, edible and non-toxic biopolymer to protect bacteria during storage and after ingestion so that consistent numbers of live and viable friendly bacteria can be administered via food products.
The researchers showed that Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria strains coated with the polymer survived in a simulated gastric juice solution for up to four hours, whereas uncoated bacteria died in two hours.
Researcher Aditya Bhat is presenting the group’s work this week at the Society for General Microbiology meeting in York, England. He said in a statement that a variation of the polymer can increase calcium absorption in the intestine, and that “it looks feasible for the polymer to be used for administering unstable drugs that disintegrate in the gastrointestinal tract.”
Comments
Post a Comment