SBIR/STTR Award attributes
Prevention of biofilms on invasive medical devices has the potential to significantly reduce hospital acquired infections and improve patient outcomesProsthetic joint infectionsPJIsacquired from orthopedic implantsoften the result of microorganism contamination on the implant surface during surgeryaffect patient recoveries and can lead to significant mortalitiesOne approach for reducing the incidence of PJIs is to treat the implant surfaces to prevent microbe colonization and consequent biofilm formationModifying implant surfaces with antibiotics or metals is a common strategy for effecting this resultbut success in this approach is hampered by regulatory burdens and developing antibiotic resistancesNanoscale engineering the topographical features of the implant surfaces to decrease bacterial adhesion has received considerable interest and has shown some effectiveness at reducing pathogen viabilityAn ideal implant surface would enhance the antimicrobial effects of the nanostructured surfaces already in use today while maintaining the important osteogenic properties of the implantSonata s technology will result in a nontoxicconformalhighly durable surface coating containing a nanoengineered titanium oxideTiObased photocatalyst able to mitigate a broad spectrum of pathogensA key aim is to deposit a photocatalyst that is tuned for activation by visible lightemitting diodesLEDsused in ambient lightingavoiding harmful UV light and allowing for continuous activation during surgery using lighting already present in the operating roomThe efficacy of this approach will be tested with Staphylococcus aureusATCCThe proposed technology prevents microbial contamination through three different mechanismspreserving the antimicrobial effects of the nanostructured implant surface through conformal coating of the photocatalyst layermaintaining surface hydrophilicity to prevent bacterial adhesionandactivating the bactericidal activity of the photocatalyst layer with visible lightIn addition to implantsthese coatings can be applied to a variety of other invasive medical devicesincluding surgical toolswith continuous activation occurring during the surgical procedureIt is expected that the reduction in PJIs that results from implementation of this strategy will improve postoperative patient outcomeswww sonatamaterials comNarrative Sonata LLC JanuaryConformalantimicrobial coatings on invasive medical devices are an excellent approach for reducing the number of prosthetic joint infectionsPJIsafflicting patients each yearThe proposed nontoxic surfaces are activated with visible lightexploiting the natural illumination available in the operating theater during surgery to create the bactericidal effectsThe reduction in PJIs resulting from these antimicrobial surfaces will enhance health by reducing illnessshortening hospital staysimproving patient recovery ratesand prolonging life
