Nanomaterials Guiding Antimicrobial Host Defense
J. Mizgerd (Harvard School of Public Health)

Polymers of polyacrylamide, ~100 nm in size, were engineered to coat gram-positive bacteria with antibodies in order to stimulate phagocytosis by macrophages. Polymers present vancomycin (for attaching to bacteria) and fluorescin (for attaching anti-fluorescin antibodies). Bacteria coated with antibodies can be visualized inside of macrophages, (a) using stains or (b) using the fluorescent nature of the polymers coating the bacteria.