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A prototype dialyzer captured 97% of bacteria from bacteria-spiked human blood in a laboratory test, using flexible nanowires that bend around captured bacteria. The result, reported in a 2018 Nature Communications study, is a proof of concept—not a proven sepsis treatment or a device shown to be safe and effective in patients.
What the “nanoclaw flytrap” is
The device is an experimental dialyzer built from three-dimensional carbon foam grafted with nickel-cobalt oxide nanowires. The “flytrap” label describes how some of those wires behave: their tips bend around bacteria after molecular binding forces act on them. They are not miniature plants or autonomous biological traps.
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In the study’s targeted-capture approach, bacterial surface molecules bind to Concanavalin A (Con A) on the nanowires. The interaction deforms the flexible wires into three-dimensional shapes the authors call “nanoclaws,” helping hold bacteria against the force of flowing fluid. The team also examined a less specific electrostatic capture approach using polyethylenimine (PEI). The device and mechanism are described in the authors’ 2018 paper.
How the experimental designs compared
The authors tested bacteria-spiked adult human blood flowing through a homemade dialyzer at 10 cm/s. The percentages below are capture efficiency in that laboratory setup, not patient outcomes.
#1 Best Overall
| Experimental substrate | Bacterial capture at 10 cm/s | Bacterial retention after saline wash |
|---|---|---|
| Smooth carbon foam | Approximately 10% | 5% |
| Single-crystalline nanowires on carbon foam | Approximately 40% | 35% |
| Bendable polycrystalline nanowires on carbon foam | 97% | 85% |
For the retention comparison, the study washed the dialyzers with sterile normal saline at 20 cm/s for two minutes. The capture and wash-retention figures are reported by the study’s authors in Nature Communications (2018). The contrast suggests that the bendable-wire design captured and held more bacteria than the two comparator substrates under the reported conditions; it does not establish how the device would perform in clinical treatment.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the blood-cell findings do—and do not—show
The authors reported little nonspecific adsorption of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets in their experiments. That is an observation about the tested setup, not proof of safety in patients. The paper discusses clinical implementation as a consideration for future development; it does not report a demonstrated patient treatment.
A separate nanorobot study is not the same device
A different 2018 proof-of-concept project from UC San Diego used ultrasound-powered gold nanowires coated with platelet and red-blood-cell membranes. In contaminated blood samples containing MRSA and its toxins, a university report said samples had three times less bacteria and toxins after five minutes than untreated samples. That approach was distinct from the carbon-foam nanoclaw dialyzer, and the report described live-animal testing as future work. See the UC San Diego report.
What the headline result means
The 97% figure is a laboratory capture efficiency for bacteria introduced into blood and passed through a specific experimental dialyzer at 10 cm/s. It is not a 97% sepsis cure rate, a result from patient treatment, or evidence that the device is clinically available. The study supports further investigation of bendable nanowires as a way to capture bacteria from flowing blood, while clinical benefit and safety remain unestablished.
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