To adsorb or not to adsorb

 

Source - https://phys.org/news/2021-06-adsorb.html

Man, he looks like a fun guy at parties, eh?

"Hey, guys, I brought a bowl full of 3d printed phages! They can be party favors, no?"

"Sure, Ivan, just put them in the corner there next to the coats. And did you bring money for the pizza?"

"Sorry, I forgot with all the excitement about the phages. I'll get you next time."

Yeah, sure you will.

As the phys.org article says, "bacteriophages...are specialized viruses that can infect and kill bacteria without adverse effects on humans." 

In order for those phages to work, however, they have to be stored and then injected into the human body. "Unfortunately, despite beneficial treatment and numerous trials, the number of active bacteriophages in the solution for injection can drastically decrease, making the treatment ineffective."

The scientists in this study looked at how the properties of the container used to store the phage solutions affected the concentration of available phages. They found that the hydrophobicity of the polymer material of the container drastically affected that concentration as the phages adsorbed onto some container's surfaces rather than remaining available and in solution. Apparently the "aggregation of phages onto walls is mor [sic] profitable energetically than staying in solution."

As the study said, "[i]n case of sudden need...the choice of container for the phages seems to be trivial. However, as the study shows, such a factor has a tremendous impact on the number of active phages in the solution and, therefore, in determining successful therapy."

Who knew? The container matters?