Over 2.8 million Americans get antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections annually, and about 35,000 of those patients do not make it through their infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hongjun (Henry) Liang, Ph.D., of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, has largely focused his research on creating novel nanoparticles known as nanoantibiotics that address bacterial infections, particularly those that are resistant to treatment with commonly used antibiotics, to find solutions to the problem of antibiotic resistance.
As of July 26th, 2022, a US patent titled “Hydrophilic Nanostructured Membrane Active Antimicrobials With High Activity, Selectivity And Biodegradability” had been issued in connection with Liang’s work, enabling the Liang laboratory team to manufacture the innovative nanoantibiotics.
We have a lot of antibiotics already being used in the clinics, and many of them are quite effective to ordinary infections. But we are facing this increasing challenge with MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) and other kinds of drug-resistant bacteria, which are the bacteria that turns ordinary infections into life-threatening events.
Hongjun Liang, Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
The ability of a molecule to repel water (hydrophobicity) or to attract water and dissolve in it (hydrophilicity) has been shown to have a major impact on cells in previous studies. According to Liang, a material will have a higher negative effect the more hydrophobic it is.
He emphasized that there is, however, no quantitative benchmark for the acceptable level of hydrophobicity.
Liang added, “Basically, you can kill bacteria when you increase hydrophobicity. But it also will kill healthy cells, and we don’t want that.”
The Liang team created unique hydrophilic nanoantibiotics in a study published in January 2022 in Nature Communications. These nanoantibiotics had the appearance of tiny hairy spheres and were made of many hydrophilic polymer brushes grafted onto silica nanoparticles of various sizes.
These man-made substances, which are also produced by Liang’s lab, are intended to kill bacteria by disrupting their membranes by utilizing a distinct method of membrane remodeling that affects bacterial membranes while leaving mammalian cells unharmed.
This was the third paper on nanoantibiotics that the Liang lab has published. The first and second publications that described the hydrophilic nanoantibiotic design approach were released in 2017 by ACS Infectious Disease and in 2020 by Biomacromolecules.
Both were highlighted by Chemical & Engineering News and featured as cover stories in their respective journals.
Liang said his team is now concentrating on a two-pronged approach to enhance and improve the nanoantibiotics for use in patients, armed with the three published findings and the patent.
Pushing for clinical trials is the first strategy, which Liang defined as the research and academic component of his approach. The Liang lab will begin that procedure by submitting new applications for federal funding that support animal studies and ultimately result in clinical trials on human subjects.
He stated, “That is more like the research and academic side of our effort.”
Working with the Texas Tech University Innovation Hub to assist in the commercialization of Liang’s lab’s invention is the second element of his approach.
“By taking the training opportunity on research commercialization from our Innovation Hub, hopefully, we are able to identify interested parties in the pharmaceutical industry who are able or willing to collaborate with us. One of our likely directions is to apply for an SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) grant to pilot scale production. That’s our two-pronged approach,” stated Liang.
Infection is a major concern for both scientists and practicing physicians, according to Liang. By harnessing innovation to develop a new generation of antibiotics, he hopes to be able to overcome this issue.
Liang concluded, “That is our goal and we are well on our way to that. I can’t say this is the only way forward; of course, there are many different ways. The novelty of our contribution is to tackle this challenge by designing antibiotics from a nanoengineering point of view. This is a very new path that is not well explored, and we are proud of our progress so far.”

News
Scientists Invent Plastic That Can Dissolve In Seawater In Just A Few Hours
Plastic waste and pollution in the sea have been among the most serious environmental problems for decades, causing immense damage to marine life and ecosystems. However, a breakthrough discovery may offer a game-changing solution. [...]
Muscles from the 3D printer
Swiss researchers have developed a method for printing artificial muscles out of silicone. In the future, these could be used on both humans and robots. Swiss researchers have succeeded in printing artificial muscles out [...]
Beneficial genetic changes observed in regular blood donors
Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have identified genetic changes in blood stem cells from frequent blood donors that support the production of new, non-cancerous cells. Understanding the differences in the mutations that accumulate [...]
Shocking Amounts of Microplastics in the Brain – It Could Be Increasing Our Risk of Dementia
The brain has higher concentrations of plastic particles compared to other organs, with increased levels found in dementia patients. In a comprehensive commentary published in Brain Medicine, researchers highlight alarming new evidence of microplastic accumulation [...]
Baffling Scientists for Centuries: New Study Unravels Mystery of Static Electricity
ISTA physicists demonstrate that contact electrification depends on the contact history of materials. For centuries, static electricity has intrigued and perplexed scientists. Now, researchers from the Waitukaitis group at the Institute of Science and [...]
Tumor “Stickiness” – Scientists Develop Potential New Way To Predict Cancer’s Spread
UC San Diego researchers have developed a device that predicts breast cancer aggressiveness by measuring tumor cell adhesion. Weakly adherent cells indicate a higher risk of metastasis, especially in early-stage DCIS. This innovation could [...]
Scientists Just Watched Atoms Move for the First Time Using AI
Scientists have developed a groundbreaking AI-driven technique that reveals the hidden movements of nanoparticles, essential in materials science, pharmaceuticals, and electronics. By integrating artificial intelligence with electron microscopy, researchers can now visualize atomic-level changes that were [...]
Scientists Sound Alarm: “Safe” Antibiotic Has Led to an Almost Untreatable Superbug
A recent study reveals that an antibiotic used for liver disease patients may increase their risk of contracting a dangerous superbug. An international team of researchers has discovered that rifaximin, a commonly prescribed antibiotic [...]
Scientists Discover Natural Compound That Stops Cancer Progression
A discovery led by OHSU was made possible by years of study conducted by University of Portland undergraduates. Scientists have discovered a natural compound that can halt a key process involved in the progression [...]
Scientists Just Discovered an RNA That Repairs DNA Damage – And It’s a Game-Changer
Our DNA is constantly under threat — from cell division errors to external factors like sunlight and smoking. Fortunately, cells have intricate repair mechanisms to counteract this damage. Scientists have uncovered a surprising role played by [...]
What Scientists Just Discovered About COVID-19’s Hidden Death Toll
COVID-19 didn’t just claim lives directly—it reshaped mortality patterns worldwide. A major international study found that life expectancy plummeted across most of the 24 analyzed countries, with additional deaths from cardiovascular disease, substance abuse, and mental [...]
Self-Propelled Nanoparticles Improve Immunotherapy for Non-Invasive Bladder Cancer
A study led by Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) and the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) in South Korea details the creation of urea-powered nanomotors that enhance immunotherapy for bladder cancer. The nanomotors [...]
Scientists Develop New System That Produces Drinking Water From Thin Air
UT Austin researchers have developed a biodegradable, biomass-based hydrogel that efficiently extracts drinkable water from the air, offering a scalable, sustainable solution for water access in off-grid communities, emergency relief, and agriculture. Discarded food [...]
AI Unveils Hidden Nanoparticles – A Breakthrough in Early Disease Detection
Deep Nanometry (DNM) is an innovative technique combining high-speed optical detection with AI-driven noise reduction, allowing researchers to find rare nanoparticles like extracellular vesicles (EVs). Since EVs play a role in disease detection, DNM [...]
Inhalable nanoparticles could help treat chronic lung disease
Nanoparticles designed to release antibiotics deep inside the lungs reduced inflammation and improved lung function in mice with symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease By Grace Wade Delivering medication to the lungs with inhalable nanoparticles [...]
New MRI Study Uncovers Hidden Lung Abnormalities in Children With Long COVID
Long COVID is more than just lingering symptoms—it may have a hidden biological basis that standard medical tests fail to detect. A groundbreaking study using advanced MRI technology has uncovered significant lung abnormalities in [...]