| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/R57218/01 |
| Title: |
Novel Non-Leaching Antimicrobial Silver PTFE Surfactant Coatings for Preventing Catheter Related Infections. |
| Principal Investigator: |
Zhao, Professor Q |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Department: |
Mechanical Engineering |
| Organisation: |
University of Dundee |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
04 December 2001 |
Ends: |
03 December 2004 |
Value (£): |
63,302
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Biomaterials |
Tissue Engineering |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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Catheter-related infections are associated with increased morbidity and mortality, prolonged hospitalisation, patient discomfort and increased medical costs. The anti-microbial activity of currently coated catheters is achieved by releasing anti-microbial agents (e.g. Ag+ or antibiotics) from the specially designed coatings to kill bacteria or to inhibit bacterial colonization. However the use of anti-microbial agents is not desirable and could be toxic to certain human cells. Furthermore, the duration of anti-microbial activity of the coatings is short. Recent work by the applicant and his coworkers has demonstrated that co-depositing non-leaching metal/PTFE/surfactant on heat exchanger surfaces can reduce bacterial attachement significantly. The purpose of this project is to extend this technique to develop a permanent non-leaching anti-microbial composite coating to prevent catheter-related infections, using an autocatalytic chemical deposition technique. The key idea is to treat the surface of catheters with silver, PTFE and a special selected surfactant to minimise attractive forces between the coated surface and bacteria, so that the bacterial attachment and colonization on the surface are prevented. The type of surfactant, the relative contents of silver, PTFE and surfactant in the coating and coating parameters will be optimised by a combination of experiments and DLVO theoretical modelling in order to achieve the required antimicrobial property, which will be assessed using radiometric assay and scanning electron microscopy. Enhanced longer-term leaching experiments will be performed using physiological solutions to demonstrate the potential of the technique for clinical applications.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.dundee.ac.uk |