SPAGYRIC HERBALISM

A mint idea becomes a game changer for medical devices

Flinders University

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Professor Krasimir Vasilev, Matthew Flinders Professor and Professor of Biomedical Nanotechnology and Director of Biomedical Nanoengineering Laboratory, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University

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Credit: Flinders University

Australian researchers have developed a high‑performance coating made from peppermint essential oil that can be applied to the surfaces of many commonly used medical devices, offering a safer way to protect patients from infection and inflammation.

Matthew Flinders Professor and senior author of the new study, Professor Krasimir Vasilev, says the idea emerged after noticing that eating peppermint leaves from his drink significantly relieved his sore throat, inspiring him to explore whether its bioactivity could be converted into a durable coating using plasma technology – something he has been researching for more than two decades.

The team from Flinders’s Biomedical Nanoengineering Laboratory - including Professor Vasilev (Director), Associate Professor Vi‑Khanh Truong, Dr Andrew Hayles, and PhD candidates Trong Quan Luu and Tuyet Pham - created a nanoscale peppermint‑oil coating that protects against infection, inflammation and oxidative stress, while remaining compatible with human tissue and suitable for medical materials.

In the study, the team used atmospheric pressure plasma to transform peppermint essential oil into an ultra-thin film that bonds tightly to the surface of all types of medical materials.

“This process does not require heating or harmful chemicals and preserves many of the biologically active groups within the oil,” says Professor Vasilev.

“Importantly, it is environmentally friendly since the energy required to run the process can be entirely sourced from renewable sources.

“It allows the fabrication of robust and stable coatings because the plasma reorganises the oil molecules into a cross linked structure that resists breakdown.”

Researchers first tested the coating on urinary catheters - devices frequently associated with infection and patient discomfort.

Co-author, Associate Professor Vi‑Khanh Truong says the peppermint coating removed up to 90% of harmful reactive oxygen species, limiting tissue damage and irritation.

“Catheter associated urinary tract infections are among the most common hospital acquired infections and significantly contribute to patient discomfort, extended hospital stays, greater treatment costs and increased mortality,” says Associate Professor Truong from the College of Medicine and Public Health.

“The plasma coating demonstrated strong antibacterial action against key pathogens such as E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, killing bacteria on contact without releasing drugs into the body.”

The study also found that the peppermint oil coating increased bacterial sensitivity to common antibiotics including colistin and levofloxacin, a finding that could help reduce antibiotic resistance.

“We found that the coating reduces pro inflammatory signals and increases anti-inflammatory signals, shifting immune cells toward a healing associated phenotype rather than an aggressive one,” says Dr Andrew Hayles.

“This response may help the body tolerate the presence of medical devices more comfortably.”

Laboratory testing confirmed that human cells grow normally on the coating and maintain healthy metabolic activity which proves that the peppermint based film is safe for contact with human tissue.

Beyond catheters, the coating can be applied to many kinds of medical devices, including those used in orthopaedic surgery and long term clinical care.

“The process also supports environmentally conscious manufacturing because it uses renewable peppermint oil and avoids solvent based methods. It can also be powered entirely by renewable sources,” says Professor Vasilev.

“The co-location of the Biomedical Nanoengineering Laboratory within Flinders Medical Centre facilitates close collaboration with doctors and nurses, ensuring that our research remains clinically relevant and strongly positioned for translation.”

The team hopes the discovery will inspire a new generation of medical coatings that harness natural compounds while improving patient comfort and reducing infection risks. They say they are keen to support further development of the technology and are actively seeking engagement with partners to help commercialise their discoveries.

Images available here

Acknowledgements: This research at Flinders University was conducted with experts from RMIT University (Melbourne, Australia).  Professor Vasilev is funded by a NHMRC Fellowship GNT1194466 and ARC grants DP220103543 and DP250101028. V.K.T thanks ARC for the grant FT240100067. A.H. thanks the Flinders Foundation for Health Seed Grant.

The article, ‘A Multifunctional Bioactive Nanoscale Coating Deposited by Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Polymerization of Peppermint Essential Oil,’ by Trong Quan Luu, Xuan Duy Do, Tuyet Pham, Ngoc Huu Nguyen, Richard Bright, Wenshao Li, Xiangyang Guo (RMIT University,Melbourne), Vi Khanh Truong  , Andrew Hayles and Krasimir Vasilev was published in Small journal. DOI: 10.1002/smll.202510552\\

Peppermint essential oil plasma coating. A nanoscale peppermint‑oil coating that protects against infection, inflammation and oxidative stress, while remaining compatible with human tissue and suitable for medical materials 

A mint idea - Flinder's Biomedical Nanoengineering Laboratory team, Dr Andrew Hayes, PhD candidate, Trong Quan Luu and Professor Vasilev in the lab with some mint

Credit

Journal

Small

DOI

10.1002/smll.202510552 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Human tissue samples

Article Title

A Multifunctional Bioactive Nanoscale Coating Deposited by Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Polymerization of Peppermint Essential Oil,’

 

Innovation at a crossroads: Virginia Tech scientist calls for balance between research integrity and commercialization

In Nature Biotechnology commentary, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC professor cautions that weakening technology transfer could erode U.S. competitiveness

Virginia Tech

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Robert Gourdie, a Virginia Tech professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, recently published a Nature Biotechnology commentary on balancing research integrity and biomedical innovation.

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Credit: Clayton Metz/Virginia Tech

As federal policymakers weigh potential changes to how biomedical research is funded and regulated in the United States, a Virginia Tech scientist highlights the importance of preserving the nation’s ability to turn discovery into life‑saving therapies.

In a commentary published this week in Nature Biotechnology, Robert Gourdie, professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, notes that well‑intentioned but overly restrictive policies could inadvertently undermine the technology‑transfer ecosystem that has driven decades of U.S. leadership in biomedical innovation.

He emphasizes that the key to making the process work is strong transparency and careful oversight of conflicts. 

“The United States didn’t become a global leader in medical innovation by accident,” Gourdie said. “It happened because we built systems that allow discoveries made with public funding to move efficiently from academic laboratories into the clinic and the marketplace, where they can benefit patients.”

Biomedical research funded by taxpayers is being examined more closely by federal agencies, policymakers, and the broader scientific community, with growing attention on research integrity, reproducibility, and scientists’ financial ties to industry — concerns that have prompted calls for tighter federal oversight. 

At the same time, unclear signals about future National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and policy direction have raised questions about whether reforms could unintentionally weaken the research system they aim to protect.

Together, these pressures are fueling a national conversation about how to safeguard scientific integrity without undermining the innovation pipeline that turns discovery into patient care.

Gourdie emphasized that technology transfer — the process through which universities license inventions and collaborate with private-sector partners — is an essential but often misunderstood component of the NIH’s mission to improve health, lengthen life, and reduce disability.

“Conflicts of interest are an inherent part of innovation,” Gourdie said. “The question is not whether they exist, but whether they are disclosed, overseen, and managed in ways that protect scientific integrity.”

In the article, Gourdie pointed to China’s rapid expansion of its biomedical innovation ecosystem, with policies modeled in part on the U.S. system, pairing strong government investment in research with incentives for commercialization and business creation. International intellectual property data show that China now leads the world in patent filings, highlighting what Gourdie describes as an increasingly competitive global landscape.

“Other nations are not retreating from translation — they are accelerating it,” Gourdie said. “If the U.S. weakens the mechanisms that connect discovery to deployment, we risk ceding both economic and biomedical leadership.”

Under current federal rules, researchers disclose significant financial interests, while universities implement oversight and management plans designed to ensure objectivity in the design, conduct, and reporting of research.

Gourdie argues that this framework has enabled productive academic–industry partnerships while maintaining public trust, and that abandoning it could have unintended consequences.

Gourdie also challenges the assumption that commercialization erodes research rigor. Instead, he said, translational work often introduces additional layers of scrutiny through investors, regulators, and independent validation by contract research organizations.

“In many cases, translational science subjects data to more external review, not less,” Gourdie said. 

Gourdie is transparent about his own role in academic entrepreneurship. He is a co-founder and shareholder of several biotechnology companies — including The Tiny Cargo Company, Acomhal Research, and Xequel Bio — that are developing therapies originating from his academic laboratory, with related intellectual property licensed through universities.

Gourdie frames technology transfer as an ethical obligation to the public. Taxpayers, he said, support biomedical research with the expectation that discoveries will ultimately improve health and save lives.

Looking ahead, Gourdie proposed a constructive way to reinforce U.S. leadership in biomedical innovation without sacrificing public trust.

He suggests dedicating a small fraction of royalties from federally funded patents to a national “sovereign wealth”–style fund that would be reinvested in basic and translational research. By routing 1percent to 3 percent of licensing income back into a transparent, publicly governed fund, he said policymakers could strengthen long‑term support for NIH‑funded science while preserving the incentive structure that has made U.S. technology transfer so effective.

“The greater ethical failure is allowing promising discoveries to languish in academic journals,” said Gourdie, who is also a professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Virginia Tech. “If we have the ability to move knowledge into real-world use responsibly, we have a duty to do so.”

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Journal

Nature Biotechnology

DOI

10.1038/s41587-025-02996-z 

Method of Research

Commentary/editorial

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Balancing innovation and integrity: the biomedical research ecosystem at a crossroads

Article Publication Date

3-Feb-2026

COI Statement

Robert G. Gourdie is a co‑founder, shareholder, company officer and board member of The Tiny Cargo Company, Inc., which is developing milk exosome‑based therapeutics originating from his academic laboratory; related intellectual property is licensed from Virginia Tech and targets ischemic heart injury, lethal radiation injury and radiation‑therapy side effects. R.G.G. is a co‑founder, shareholder, company officer and board member of Acomhal Research, Inc., which is developing the JM2 peptide under licenses from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) for glioblastoma and breast cancer. R.G.G. is a co‑founder and shareholder of Xequel Bio, Inc. (formerly FirstString Research, Inc.), which is developing the αCT1 peptide for wound‑healing indications; JM2 and αCT1 were invented in his laboratory, with related intellectual property licensed from MUSC, his former academic institution. R.G.G. and/or his institutions are associated with issued and pending patents related to the above technologies.

 

Tropical peatlands are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions

Using a new method to track groundwater levels and greenhouse gas emissions, researchers uncover the climate impact of Southeast Asia’s peatlands.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Hokkaido University

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A tropical peat swamp forest in Sarawak, Malaysia. 

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Credit: Takashi Hirano

In Indonesia, Malaysia, and other parts of Southeast Asia, vast areas spanning up to 300,000 square kilometers have emerged over thousands of years as plants grow and thrive in dense tropical peat swamp forests, then die and slowly decompose in waterlogged, low-oxygen conditions. As a result, large amounts of carbon get stored in the soil rather than released into the atmosphere. Heavy rainfall keeps these landscapes flooded for much of the year, allowing layers of dead vegetation to build up and gradually compress into dense, carbon-rich peat. New research from Hokkaido University suggests that the climate impact of these peatlands could be significantly higher than previously thought.

In the last few decades, many peatlands in this region have been drained and converted for agriculture. “Draining these peatlands lowers groundwater levels, exposing the carbon-rich peat to air,” explains lead author Professor Takashi Hirano of the Research Faculty of Agriculture at Hokkaido University. “This accelerates peat decomposition and releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere but reduces methane emissions,” he adds.

“Tropical peatlands have attracted attention as a significant source of CO2 emissions, but there are still many uncertainties,” says Prof. Hirano. One reason is that measuring exactly how much greenhouse gas is emitted from peatlands is challenging. With changes in rainfall across regions and seasons, groundwater levels fluctuate, leading to variations in greenhouse gas emissions. To address this, the researchers developed a new method to map groundwater levels across peatlands and estimate the associated greenhouse gas emissions. The study was published in AGU Advances in December 2025.

The team studied peatlands covering roughly 180,000 square kilometers across Southeast Asia. “Using satellite data from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), we first tracked rainfall variation across the region and then used this information to map groundwater levels,” he says. By combining this with direct observations of carbon dioxide and methane levels from 11 monitoring sites, they were then able to create monthly emission maps showing how much carbon dioxide and methane are released into the atmosphere from peatlands, capturing differences across locations and seasons.

When the researchers applied their new method to peatlands across Sumatra, Borneo, and the Malay Peninsula for the period from 2011 to 2020, they were surprised to find that even in their natural, waterlogged state, peat swamp forests release more greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide and methane combined, than they absorb. This means they contribute to climate change rather than acting as carbon sinks, as previously thought.

Human intervention and extreme climate events increase these emissions significantly. Data from the decade-long study show that simply draining these peat swamp forests nearly triples their greenhouse gas emissions, while converting them to agricultural land increases emissions by more than sixfold. Greenhouse gas emissions from peatlands in this region are equivalent to about 30% of Japan’s annual emissions. Climate change further adds to the problem: droughts linked to El Niño events raise emissions even more, increasing annual greenhouse gas output across the region by roughly 16%.

Looking ahead, climate models predict that rainfall in this region will increase in the mid-21st century. Increased rainfall could raise groundwater levels, which in peatlands may slow down peat decomposition and consequently reduce greenhouse gas emissions under certain conditions. Although peatlands cover just about 3% of the Earth’s land surface, they store more than twice as much carbon as all the world’s forests combined, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. How these ecosystems are managed and how rainfall patterns evolve will be crucial in shaping the future impact of peatlands on the global climate system.

  

Peatland converted for oil palm cultivation.

Map showing the selected study area and the locations of 11 observation towers (white circles). Peatland areas are shown in red.

An observation tower installed on peatland.

A monitoring equipment mounted on an observation tower.

A drainage ditch in a converted peatland.

Credit

Takashi Hirano

Journal

AGU Advances

DOI

10.1029/2025AV001861 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Impact of Land Use Change and Drought on the Net Emissions of Carbon Dioxide and Methane from Tropical Peatlands in Southeast Asia