SHEFFIELD, England, March 12 (UPI) -- A group of British scientists has received a $1.3 million government grant to develop an innovative sensor to detect the presence of bacteria.
The joint funding of the University of Sheffield researchers comes from Britain's Engineering and Physical Science Research Council and the Ministry of Defense to develop a method of using polymer that will give a fluorescent signal when it encounters bacteria.
Such a device would allow scientists to identify infected wounds much earlier than with conventional methodologies to detect bacterial contamination, whether accidental or deliberate.
Currently identifying bacterial infection takes several days and requires swabbing and culturing of bacterial swabs as well as the use of specialist bacteriology laboratory facilities. By combining polymers, which change shape when they encounter bacteria, and developing a light signal through fluorescence non-radiative energy transfer, the researchers would be able to detect early stage bacterial contamination.
