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Phosphate-scavenging nanoparticles starve microbes - Swiss scientists have developed an antimicrobial strategy using lanthanum oxide nanoparticles to compete against microbes for phosphate. The availability of phosphate, an essential component of nucleic acids, proteins and cellular energy carriers, is often the limiting factor in microbial growth in aqueous environments. Reference: L C Gerber et al, Chem. Commun., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2cc30903c