Tiny Tech 49: Treating Acne by Getting Under Your Skin

Today from the world of Tiny Tech:

Everyone – especially teenagers – hates spots caused by acne. The bacteria that cause acne can be killed by antibiotics, but a big problem is the eventual development of antibiotic resistance, in which the bacteria no longer respond to the medicine.

One way to get around antibiotic resistance is to find new antibiotics that the bacteria have never seen. The new highly promising antibiotic called Narasin had never been examined for its ability to treat acne. The main obstacle is that Narasin does not dissolve in water, which is needed for making anti-acne gels and creams. To overcome this problem, scientists have combined Narasin with a special kind of soap, which wraps up the Narasin molecules inside tiny nano-sized water-soluble shells. A gel containing the soap-encapsulated Narasin is then rubbed onto the skin. The water-soluble shells enable the antibiotic molecules to get through the skin and make their way to the hair follicles, where the acne-causing bacteria hang out. Bye-bye acne. The results are preliminary but look very promising.

Normally, I’m unhappy when something gets under my skin, but in this case, it’s a scientific accomplishment!

Tiny Tech is made possible by the National Science Foundation and WUFT. To learn more about Tiny Tech, go to tinytechradio.org.

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