Developing a multi-species biofilm model for testing novel antimicrobials

随着越来越多的病原菌对多种抗生素产生抗药性，需要替代技术来解决这个问题。细菌还通常形成生物膜，这是一种细胞聚集并嵌入保护性细胞外基质的生长模式，使它们更难治疗。据估计，多达40%的人类疾病与生物膜有关。SterileCare Inc.是一家年轻的加拿大生物技术公司，该公司开发了一种创新的非抗生素抗菌剂，对MRSA、VRE和假单胞菌等难治疗细菌有效。临床相关的生物膜条件揭示了这些生物膜中存在革兰氏阳性和革兰氏阴性细菌和真菌的复杂混合物，相互提供重要的生存信息。无菌护理公司希望与怀特博士和Vido-Intervac建立研究伙伴关系，以开发一种更接近体内条件的多物种生物膜模型。我们将使用这个生物被膜模型来记录微生物之间的协同效应和与不同浓度的抗菌剂以及与其他抗菌剂联合使用的挑战。随着全球抗生素管理机构的努力和积极寻找抗生素的有效替代品，SterileCare公司希望进一步开发一种强大的药剂，用于治疗与生物膜和多重耐药微生物有关的人类和兽医疾病。

With an increase in the number of pathogenic bacteria developing resistance to multiple antibiotics, alternative technologies are needed to address this problem. Bacteria also commonly form biofilms, a mode of growth where cells aggregate and become embedded in a protective extracellular matrix, making them even more difficult to treat. It is estimated that up to 40% of human diseases are biofilm-related. SterileCare Inc., a young Canadian biotechnology company, has developed an innovative non-antibiotic antimicrobial agent that is effective against hard to treat bacteria such as MRSA, VRE and Pseudomonas. Clinically relevant conditions of biofilm reveal the presence of a complex mixture of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungi within these biofilms, conferring important survival information to each other. Sterile Care Inc. would like to establish a research partnership with Dr. White and VIDO-InterVac to develop a multi-species biofilm model that more closely represents in vivo conditions. We will use this biofilm model to document the synergistic effects between microorganisms and challenge with the antimicrobial agent at different concentrations and in combination with other antimicrobials. In line with global Antibiotic Stewardship efforts and active search for an effective alternative to antibiotics, SterileCare Inc. hopes to further develop a powerful agent to treat both human and veterinary conditions associated with biofilms and multidrug resistant microorganisms.