Illustration by Steak Studio
Ever since their discovery, bacteria have held both scientific and creative minds in their thrall. Nor are the public at large immune to an obsession with these microscopic yet paradoxically high-profile life-forms. But has the threat they pose to human health been overblown?
The disconcerting truth is that, even in the developed world, bacterial infections remain a major cause of illness and mortality. And with some strains showing increased resistance to antibiotics, the need to rapidly pinpoint hospital patients infected by or simply carrying, harmful bacteria has never been greater.
Pathogen Hunter project is based on AptaMEMS-ID a research project from the Diagnostic and Therapeutic Technologies in Newcastle University.