DNA-Based Chemical Unclonable Functions for Cryptographic Anticounterfeit Tagging of Pharmaceuticals.

Counterfeit products are a problem known across many industries. Chemical products such as pharmaceuticals belong to the most targeted markets, with harmful consequences for consumer health and safety. However, many of the currently used anticounterfeit measures are associated with the packaging, with the readout method and level of security varying between different solutions.

Outbreak simulation on the neonatal ward using silica nanoparticles with encapsulated DNA: unmasking of key spread areas.

Background: Nosocomial infections pose a serious threat. In neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) especially, there are repeated outbreaks caused by micro-organisms without the sources or dynamics being conclusively determined.

Aim: To use amorphous silica nanoparticles with encapsulated DNA (SPED) to simulate outbreak events and to visualize dissemination patterns in a NICU to gain a better understanding of these dynamics.

Chemical unclonable functions based on operable random DNA pools.

Physical unclonable functions (PUFs) based on unique tokens generated by random manufacturing processes have been proposed as an alternative to mathematical one-way algorithms. However, these tokens are not distributable, which is a disadvantage for decentralized applications. Finding unclonable, yet distributable functions would help bridge this gap and expand the applications of object-bound cryptography.

Preserving DNA in Biodegradable Organosilica Encapsulates.

A core-shell strategy was developed to protect synthetic DNA in organosilica particles encompassing dithiol linkages allowing for a DNA loading of 1.1 wt %. DNA stability tests involving bleach as an oxidant showed that following the procedure DNA was sandwiched between core particles of ca.

Silica nanoparticles with encapsulated DNA (SPED) to trace the spread of pathogens in healthcare.

Background: To establish effective infection control protocols, understanding pathogen transmission pathways is essential. Non-infectious surrogate tracers may safely explore these pathways and challenge pre-existing assumptions. We used silica nanoparticles with encapsulated DNA (SPED) for the first time in a real-life hospital setting to investigate potential transmission routes of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in the context of a prolonged outbreak.