###Engineering smart urinary catheters expressing antimicrobial activity and preventing biofilm formation
Project ID: 2228bd1049 (You will need this ID for your application)
Research Theme: Healthcare Technologies
UCL Lead department: Division of Surgery and Interventional Sciences
Lead Supervisor: Eirini Velliou
Project Summary:
Research importance: Catheter associated urinary tract infections are the most common hospital infection. Approximately 20% of in-hospital sepsis (severe lethal infection) cases are due to urinary tract infections, for which mortality is ~10%. Biofilm formation on a catheter provides an opportunity for extraluminal pathogens to ascend and cause infections. This becomes more challenging as the duration of the catheter use increases, with catheter management protocols so far proven insufficient to reduce infections. Biofilms are cell aggregates of bacteria on/in surfaces. Interaction of biofilms with the surfaces they attach on to is a crucial step in their development. In this context, the goal of this project is to design smart surfaces with capabilities to both disrupt and monitor the biofilm evolution. More specifically, we will fabricate novel catheters in terms of mechanical (anti-adhesive architecture) and chemical (encapsulation of novel/natural antimicrobial substances) composition. Thereafter, we will evaluate the formation/evolution of complex biofilms on such surfaces, therefore, establishing clear structure-(microbial)activity relationships at a local and global level, decoupling the roles of surface properties (e.g., surface charge, chemical functionality, surface energy, topography) on the biofilm kinetics, spatiotemporal distribution, cell-cell and cell-surface interactions. Who you will be working with/what you will be doing: You will be joining the group of Dr Eirini Velliou at the Centre for 3D Models of Health and Disease. You will be also working closely with Prof Manish K. Tiwari (Mechanical Engineering and the WEISS centre). You will be working in a multidisciplinary environment, fabricating and characterising advanced biomaterials, accessing cutting edge facilities for bio-(nano-)material fabrication, cell culturing, microscopy/imaging, molecular biology and material characterisation. Who we are looking for: We are looking for a highly motivated individual to join our team. Ideal candidate should have a background on bioengineering, microbiology, biomaterials, mechanical/chemical engineering or related discipline.