SU News Services
(315) 443-3784
Treatment of hospital-related infections in the United States costs up to $11 billion a year, and about half of those infections are related to medical devices implanted in patients. Until now, efforts to control drug-resistant biofilms on such devices have been largely unsuccessful.
New hydrogel mats developed by collaborators Pat Mather and Dacheng Ren of the Syracuse Biomaterials Institute (SBI) at Syracuse University present a solution. The new materials combine microbe-killing silver nitrate with the surprising qualities of a hybrid electrospun fiber web that extends anti-infection protection for up to 14 days.
“We’re excited about what this innovation can mean to patients and care providers,” says Mather, the director of SBI and the Milton and Ann Stevenson Professor of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering at Syracuse University. “When we tested alternative materials, we saw biofilms forming on the first day despite the silver nitrate. However, our new nanoscale fibers demonstrate a unique ability to prolong the effect of the silver coating.”
This innovation could significantly reduce infection rates among patients who need vascular or urinary catheters or who require bandages, wound dressings or reconstructive oral and bone surgery. It could also relieve patients’ pain and reduce nursing costs.
In addition, when used in wound dressings, the electrospun web can prevent or reduce damage to the skin at the edges of wounds. This can be caused by lateral wicking, an undesirable side effect of many wound dressings.
The benefits of the antimicrobial webs are expected to be applicable in other biomedical uses. A provisional patent on the new technology has been filed, and research is continuing into other polymers and antimicrobial agents. Readily adjustable chemical structures make it possible to tune hydrogel ingredients in the search for other valuable physical properties.
This finding is described in a publication to appear in the journal Biomacromolecules (DOI: 10.1021/bm900620w) and available online at http://pubs.acs.org/.
Along with their roles at SBI, both Mather and Ren, assistant professor, are on the faculty of SU’s L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science (LCS).
We want to know how you experience Syracuse University. Take a photo and share it with us. We select photos from a variety of sources. Submit photos of your University experience using #SyracuseU on social media, fill out a submission…
Nina Kohn, the David M. Levy Professor of Law and Faculty Director of Online Education in the College of Law, was quoted in the Politico story ‘We Don’t Fix This Because We Just Don’t Care About Old People’ Kohn discussed the…
Dimitar Gueorguiev, assistant professor for political science in the Maxwell School, authored an opinion piece for the Washington Post “The U.S. and China agreed to work together on climate action. What would push this cooperation forward?” and was quoted in…
Jennifer Stromer-Galley, professor in the School of Information Studies and Senior Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs, was quoted in The Guardian story “Astroworld disaster fuels wave of satanic conspiracy theories on TikTok.” Prof. Stromer-Galley was also quoted about…
Aileen Gallagher, associate professor of magazine, news and digital journalism in the Newhouse School, was quoted in the New York Times story “People Magazine Heads to New Ownership. Again.” With People Magazine recently being bought by the company DotDash, many…
If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.
