Biofilm-Material Interactions-New Tools, Technologies, and Opportunities

Materials Research Society, Warrendale PA

Investigators

Abstract

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Bacterial infections of implanted biomedical devices and tissue surfaces constitute an ever-increasing threat to human health with significant clinical and economic consequences. In many infections, bacteria attach to the surfaces of medical devices or compromised tissue and subsequently develop into highly cooperative communities known as biofilms. Bacteria in a biofilm are well protected from host defenses and antibiotics, almost all of which have been developed to combat bacteria in their planktonic state. Lacking alternative strategies, infected biomedical devices ranging from catheters to orthopedic implants are simply removed. Particularly for in-dwelling devices, such a procedure can substantially compromise the success of a subsequent revision surgery, produce extensive patient discomfort, and lead to rapidly escalating health-care costs. A technology part of a solution to this complex problem resides in: (1) the exploitation of recent and future advances in nanotechnology to develop multifunctional surfaces which resist biofilm formation and reduce the incidence of infection while promoting the adhesion of healthy tissue, and (2) increasing the predictive capability of high-throughput in vitro tools to emulate biofilm physiology and quantify biofilm responses to candidate treatment strategies in order to facilitate rapid and safe translation of promising laboratory concepts into clinical practice. A key goal of this symposium is to provide a forum to assess, from widely varying interdisciplinary perspectives, how nanotechnology, microreactor systems, surface chemistry, and modern concepts of microbiology can be integrated and exploited to revolutionize the way we both study and respond to biofilm-associated infectious diseases over the coming decade. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]