Nanoengineered antimicrobial coatings on medical devices
- Reference number
- FFL18-0043
- Project leader
- Sotiriou, Georgios
- Start and end dates
- 200401-250331
- Amount granted
- 12 000 000 SEK
- Administrative organization
- Karolinska Institutet
- Research area
- Materials Science and Technology
Summary
The target here is to address unmet societal and industrial needs by developing the next generation of nanoparticle coatings on medical devices against biofilm-related infections. We focus on the scalable and reproducible nanoparticle fabrication and their direct deposition on surfaces for their integration in functional devices and aim to study three distinct strategies against biofilms utilizing: (i) nanoparticles with inherent antimicrobial properties, (ii) responsive nanoparticles that increase their temperature upon application of external stimuli (we will investigate both near-IR plasmonic photothermal as well as magnetic hyperthermal systems), and (iii) visible-light (instead of harmful UV) photocatalytically-active nanoparticles that destroy biofilms by the generation of reactive oxygen species. The versatility of our nanomanufacturing process allows for precise fabrication of coatings consisting of nanoparticles on surfaces and the systematic approach for investigation of their anti-biofilm performance will provide knowledge and insight into the basic physicochemical and biological principles and understanding to assist translation into clinics. My group is in a unique position to lead this project due to our nanoparticle engineering core expertise as well as the research environment at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska Hospital that offers all biomedical infrastructure and key collaborations with expert doctors guaranteeing the clinical relevance of this project.
Popular science description
The target here to address unmet societal and industrial needs by developing the next generation of nanoparticle coatings on medical devices against biofilm-related infections. Biofilms are colonies of bacteria that grow on the surface of medical devices (temporary such as catheters, but also on permanent implants) and are responsible for a number of tantalizing infections in patients. We focus on the scalable and reproducible nanoparticle fabrication and their direct deposition on surfaces for their integration in functional devices and aim to study three distinct strategies against biofilms utilizing: (i) nanoparticles with inherent antimicrobial properties, (ii) responsive nanoparticles that increase their temperature upon application of external stimuli (we will investigate both near-IR plasmonic photothermal as well as magnetic hyperthermal systems), and (iii) visible-light (instead of harmful UV) photocatalytically-active nanoparticles that destroy biofilms by the generation of reactive oxygen species. The versatility of our nanomanufacturing process allows for precise fabrication of coatings consisting of nanoparticles on surfaces and the systematic approach for investigation of their anti-biofilm performance will provide knowledge and insight into the basic physicochemical and biological principles and understanding to assist translation into clinics. This project will contribute decisively to the development of sophisticated and novel, nanoscale materials and revolutionary devices to combat biofilm infections using a proven scalable and highly reproducible technology for nanomaterial manufacture. The ultimate goal is to address the next frontier: Synthesis of “smart” medical devices with flame-made materials and processes to effectively aid the combat against biofilm infections and drug-resistance while strengthening the Swedish research profile aiming to efficiently tackle tomorrow’s global health problems. My group is in a unique position to lead this project due to our nanoparticle engineering core expertise as well as the research environment at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska Hospital that offers all biomedical infrastructure and key collaborations with expert doctors guaranteeing the clinical relevance of this project.