Development of safe multifunctional surfaces for catheters to combat biofilms (DemoCat)

The project addresses healthcare-associated infections. Catheter-associated urinary tract infection is the most common health-care-associated (nosocomial) infection worldwide and accounts about 40% of nosocomial infections in Europe or USA, with the mortality rate of approximately 10%. These facts arise predominantly from insufficient surface properties of currently used catheters, in particular poor bacteriostatic properties. Soon after infection, a biofilm starts growing, and once symptoms become apparent, the curing by antibiotics is rarely successful. This problem will be addressed by a multidisciplinary team, whos members are experts in material and plasma sciences, as well as experts from biocompatibility and adsorption kinetics of biological liquids, and microbiology. The team includes scientists from the academic sphere as well as medicine and experts from the industrial partner who is among European largest producers of catheters. Innovative catheters will be synthesized and coated with films containing bio-active compounds in order to improve the biological response upon implantation. The surface finish will be antibacterial and will prevent growth of biofilms. Such a surface finish will be prepared by a two-step procedure: first, an appropriate surface morphology and functionalization will be obtained by a brief treatment with the gaseous plasma of suitable parameters, and second, the surfaces will be coated with the advanced coating containing several bioactive compounds. Various treatments will be elaborated in order to find the range of parameters suitable for future production of innovative catheters. The materials will be thoroughly characterized before and after each treatment procedure. The prototypes of innovative catheters will be tested for antibacterial properties as well as any cytotoxicity. An appropriate patent application will be filled as soon as the concept will be proven, while scientific results will be prepared for the publication of scientific papers in prominent topical as well as interdisciplinary journals.