Ultralow adhesion silicone coatings to reduce rates of biofilm formation and associated infection

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'Hospital acquired infections' refer to infections that patients acquire within hospitals due to contaminated medical devices, or dueto procedures that expose healthy tissue to external bacteria. These secondary infections can often be very hard to treat,especially with a recent rise in antibiotic resistance, and can often lead to extended hospital stays, significant healthcare costs andeven death. This project aims to develop silicone-based coatings that have advanced non-fouling and anti-adhesive surfaceproperties, based on a self-lubricating mechanism. We aim to develop these highly non-stick, slippery coatings for medical tubing(catheters) to significantly reduce rates of bacterial attachment to the surface. Our previous results show these surface treatmentsare highly effective, and we believe they could greatly reduce rates of hospital acquired infection.