With a technique they developed in the lab, negatively charged nanoparticles made from hydrogel were used to capture peptides in the blood samples, and subsequent analysis identified 48 potential CAMPs.

Of the 48 identified, 47 of the peptides were derived from histone proteins, which are known to have antimicrobial properties.

The team synthesised eight of these peptides, and tested them against two particularly nasty kinds of bacteria that have been labelled ‘superbugs’: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus, aka MRSA.

Of the eight synthesised peptides, seven were effective at killing both bacteria in lab-grown cultures, while one was only effective against P. aeruginosa.