Implant-associated infections continue to represent a challenge to modern medicine, mainly due to insufficient antibiotic concentration at the site of infection. With this innovative project we are developing a new strategy that combines the power of local delivery ("click chemistry") and the flexibility of systemic delivery without systemic toxicity.
In cooperation with researchers at the University of Albany, New York and San Francisco, California we are developing modified antibiotics that are activated only at the site of pre-implanted biomaterial.
The hypothesis of this project is that antibiotics can be concentrated through bioorthogonal chemistry at an implanted biomaterial and then released through a cascade reaction. Preliminary studies suggest that the concentration of small molecules can be enhanced by more than ten times. We are studying the ability of this combination of antibiotics and materials to prevent planktonic and biofilm formation or even enable biofilm eradication.
