Anti-Biofilm Materials Using Multifunctional MOFs

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Biofilm infections are a major source of nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections, accounting for ~65% of all those treated in the Western world (according to an estimate in 1999 ). Almost a defining feature of biofilms is their increased resistance to both antimicrobial drugs and to the host animal's own defences. This makes them particularly difficult targets, and even strains of microbe that are effectively treated when in their non-biofilm (planktonic) form are often untreatable when formed in biofilms. There is therefore a great incentive to develop new methods of combating such infections. In this project we will look to develop the commercial and technical aspects of a technology that we originally developed during an EPSRC-funded research projects (GR/T09705/01 Designing Porous Metal-Organic Frameworks to Store and Deliver Large Amounts of Nitric Oxide). We have proven that nitric oxide delivered from metal organic frameworks, a type of highly porous inorganic organic hybrid material, is extremely potent at killing bacteria, even when the bacteria have formed biofilm communities. We have also shown that, because of the very highly porous nature of the metal organic frameworks, we can load drugs or other small molecules simultaneously with the NO. In this project we aim to develop the commercial potential of these materials with a goal of developing a product for the anti-biofilm market. In particular our previous results have shown that we can formulate these materials into polymers suitable for coating medical devices. Over the course of this project we will coat commercial devices with MOF-containing polymers and prove their anti-biofilm activity under industry standard conditions. We will also develop a commercialisation for this technology in the anti-biofilm area as well as improving the strength of our intellectual property and identifying important potential commercial partners.