SBIR Phase I: Preventing Biofilms on Indwelling Medical Devices with Novel Anti-Biofilm Small Molecules

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This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project describes a new approach for reducing infections associated with indwelling medical devices. Bacteria on medical devices are particularly challenging to treat because they form a protective matrix called a biofilm on the surface of the device. It is very difficult to access bacteria in the biofilm state, and systemic use of antibiotics is generally ineffective against bacteria in biofilms. We have discovered a class of novel small molecules that inhibits bacteria's ability to form biofilms as well as disperses pre-formed bacterial biofilms. This is the only class of small molecules reported that is able to disperse pre-formed biofilms from both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Both gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial biofilms have been identified on medical devices. For this Phase I SBIR, we propose to test the feasibility of incorporating our anti-biofilm compound into medical devices through a covalent bonding technique. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project addresses both health and economic burdens associated with infections of medical devices. Indwelling medical devices are associated with approximately 1 million infections and 50,000 deaths in the US each year, and hundreds of millions of dollars are spent annually treating these infections. Furthermore, infections associated with indwelling medical devices currently account for approximately one half of all hospital-acquired infections. It is estimated that the direct cost of eliminating infections known to be related to device biofilms is approximately $650 million each year.