Our animated film dramatizes the threat posed by Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that kills more than 19,000 people per year in the US. We open in a doctor’s office, where a boy is being examined for a small red bump on the skin. We zoom in to find our “superbug supervillain” MRSA wreaking havoc on his body’s cells. We see a failed assault on the bacterium by methicillin and penicillin (the antibiotic drugs it’s evolved beyond).
When all seems lost, enter IBM’s new invention: “ninja polymers” – nanoparticles that are drawn to MRSA’s electrostatic charge, killing the bacteria before it can cause any more damage.
We close by announcing that IBM is working with drug companies to commercialize the technology.