New anti-biofilm formulations and products

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Biofilm formation on medical devices can cause persistent infections. The main feature of biofilms is their**self-produced extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) that act as a protective shield to prevent biocide**penetration. Kane Biotech Inc. has been working on biofilm removal and dispersal. Kane Biotech has a**proprietary enzyme that can be used to break down and disperse biofilms. They are interested in developing**new products with higher potency in removing biofilms in both industrial and healthcare sectors. My research**group has successfully used Iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), synthesized through a simple process,**as "shield breakers" to negatively impact the integrity of biofilm EPS and cause biofilm detachment. The**Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain was used to demonstrate the efficacy of MNPs. The**highest logarithmic reduction (4.71 log) of MRSA biofilm was achieved after the treatment with 30 mg/mL of**11 nm MNPs under rotating magnetic field for 15 minutes. MNPs caused strong mechanical disruption to the**matrix and led to biofilm dispersal. Both alternating and rotating magnetic fields improved the effect of MNPs**on biofilm damage. The increased MNPs solution temperature caused by the hyperthermic effect in the AC**field led to biofilm dispersal while the MNPs caused physical damage on biofilms in a rotating magnetic field.**We hypothesize that combination of the MNPs synthesized in our lab with Kane Biotech's proprietary**anti-biofilm enzyme will lead to new formulations and products with synergistic anti-biofilm activity. That can**be translated to new anti-biofilm products that Kane can commercialize.