Infections associated with medical implants are a significant healthcare challenge, with a major impact on patient health and hospital costs. In this context, a scientific team has developed an innovative strategy to chemically modify biomaterials, endowing them with antibacterial properties that could help prevent infections in biomedical implants.
To achieve this antibacterial activity, molecules developed at IRTA within the Ruminant Production program have been used. This project provided an opportunity to analyze the potential of these molecules in hospital-acquired infections (nosocomial infections). As a result, a catalog of antibacterial molecules was developed, some already available and others specifically created within the project, using a technology developed at IRTA based on recombinant protein production.
This work, funded by La Marató de TV3, is led by four research groups: IRTA, the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), which belongs to CIBER-BBN, Hospital Clínic-IDIBAPS, part of CIBER-INFEC, and the Hospital Universitari Parc Taulí.
In the first phase, through the FUNCATH project, this technology was applied to catheters. In the second phase, through the COAT-IT project, researchers are studying its application for coating pacemakers. The developed strategy consists of functionalizing the surfaces of catheters and pacemakers with antimicrobial molecules to block the formation of biofilms by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE), thereby preventing infections in patients.
This technology represents a promising alternative to antibiotics, as it opens new avenues for combating antimicrobial resistance in healthcare settings.
According to Elena Garcia Fruitós and Anna Arís Giralt, researchers at IRTA, “this is an innovative and sustainable solution to prevent infections and tackle antibiotic resistance on a global scale, as it affects humans, animals, and the environment.”
As a result of this project, two scientific articles have been published: one led by IRTA in the journal Pharmaceutics, and a second study, published in ACS Applied Bio Materials, led by ICMAB-CSIC.
The results confirm that this new medical device coating significantly reduces bacterial proliferation on medical implants, improving their safety and durability.
This study highlights the importance of scientific collaboration in finding solutions to major global health challenges.
