Identification of iron oxide nanoparticle size and shape for the most effective anti-microbial/anti-biofilm activity

抗生素耐药性上升是一个全球性卫生保健问题[世卫组织-抗菌素耐药性：2014年全球监测报告**]。迫切需要制定新的战略来防治感染。局部杀菌剂是许多医院获得性感染的可能解决方案，因为它们可以直接应用于感染点，并且具有广谱的微生物目标。然而，它们不是靶向性的——细胞毒性是一个问题。这一挑战可以通过在磁性纳米颗粒（MNPs）上涂上杀菌剂来解决，利用磁场将**从感染部位清除，并控制接触时间。为了实现这项技术，需要详细了解涂层化学，MNPs磁性以及MNPs的大小和形状。细菌生物膜也会引起严重的感染问题。生物膜由具有细胞外基质的微生物群落组成，很难去除，因为标准抗生素和消毒剂很难穿透生物膜杀死或抑制病原微生物。生物膜永远存在于医疗设备和伤口上，是持续和反复感染的来源。在凯恩生物技术公司，我的团队正在使用新的MNPs解决这个“生物膜问题”，我的团队开发了新的MNPs技术，使用静态和动态磁场来消除生物膜。凯恩生物技术是一家加拿大公司，专注于防止和分散细菌生物膜的新产品。15年来，凯恩生物技术的研发部门一直在开发新技术和创新，导致超过75项专利和正在申请的生物技术专利，主要集中在生物膜上。通过这项Engage Grant，我们将与**Kane一起应用我们的MNP和生物膜根除研究，以建立适当大小和形状的纳米颗粒，使生物膜根除成为可能。在参与资助期间开发的纳米颗粒技术将被采用到凯恩的人类和动物健康技术组合中，以**利用新方法来解决这些领域的生物膜问题。

The rise in antibiotic resistance is a global health-care problem [WHO - Antimicrobial resistance: Global report**on surveillance 2014]. There is a critical need for new strategies to combat infections. Topical biocides are a**possible solution to many hospital-acquired infections as they may be applied directly to the point of infection**and have a broad spectrum of microbial targets. However, they are not target specific - cytotoxicity is a**problem. This challenge may be addressed by coating magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with a biocide, enabling**removal from the infection site using a magnet field, and controlling contact time. To enable this technology**requires detailed insight into coating-chemistry, the MNPs magnetism, and the size and shape of MNPs to use.**Bacterial biofilms also cause tremendous infection problems. Biofilms consist of a community of**microorganisms with an extracellular matrix, and can be very difficult to remove as standard antibiotics and**disinfectants poorly penetrate the biofilm to kill or inhibit pathogenic microorganisms. Biofilms are perpetually**present on medical devices and wounds, and are a source of persistent and recurrent infections. With Kane**Biotech, my group is tackling this "biofilm problem" using new MNPs my group develops to create new**technologies for biofilm eradication using static and dynamic magnetic fields with the MNPs. Kane Biotech is**a Canadian company focused on novel products that prevent and disperse bacterial biofilms. For over 15 years**Kane Biotech's R&D division has been developing new technologies and innovations leading to over 75**patents and patents pending in biotechnology focusing primarily on biofilms. Through this Engage Grant, with**Kane, together we will apply our MNP and biofilm eradication research to establish the appropriate size and**shape of nanoparticles necessary to make possible biofilm eradication. The nanoparticle technology developed**during this Engage Grant will be adopted into Kane's portfolio of human and animal health technologies to be**leveraged into new ways to address those areas' biofilm problem.