One dollar of silicone could head off one of the commonest infections in hospitals

Between 15 and 25 per cent of hospital patients receive a urinary catheter — a thin tube that drains the bladder — and about three-quarters of the urinary infections picked up in hospitals trace back to one. The tube irritates the bladder, the body sends healing proteins to the spot, and bacteria and fungi stick to those proteins and grow. At the University of Notre Dame, microbiologist Ana Flores-Mireles and her team have built a silicone coating that interrupts exactly that sticking step. In early laboratory studies it cut the build-up that lets infections take hold — and applying it would add about $1 to the cost of an existing catheter. The same idea could one day protect central lines, dialysis catheters and other devices. It still has testing ahead before it reaches patients, but the direction is the kind medicine loves: cheaper, simpler, and aimed at preventing the infection rather than treating it.

SDG 3 · Good health and well-being — Mechanism: tech innovation