This award by the Biomaterials Program in the Division of Materials Research to Wayne State University is to develop a single, rationally designed peptide that is capable of automatically performing bacteria-resisting, releasing, or killing tasks. When bacteria bind to a surface, they eventually lead to possible formation of biofilm, bacterial colony and infection. This project will develop a peptide material as surface coatings that can resist binding from most circulating bacteria. For small portions of bacteria that do adhere to the surface, the peptide will sense where they are on the surface and automatically release or kill them locally, while the major part of the surface will be kept free of bacteria. This technology will substantially increase antibacterial efficiency, and can be translated as medical device coatings to prevent infections. The success of this project can potentially improve patient care and reduce healthcare expenditures. The proposed research will be integrated into related educational opportunities to excite and inspire students from K-12 to graduate levels to pursue STEM education and related careers. The planned "Open Lab Days" in the Principal Investigator's laboratory are to introduce research to high-school students from the Detroit area, and influence their career decisions related to STEM topics. High-school and undergraduate students participating in the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program will be continuously recruited and mentored as part of this project.
The main aim of this project is to develop a single, rationally designed peptide capable of automatically performing both as anti-fouling and antimicrobial surfaces by bacteria-resisting, releasing, or killing tasks by adapting to adsorptive status of bacteria. Conventional bacteria-killing or resisting materials can hardly achieve 100% efficacy in permanently protecting a surface, and usually delay, rather than fully prevent, in forming biofilm. Different bacteria killing and resisting materials have been combined together, but multiple materials tend to dilute and interfere with respective effectiveness, and overall performance is compromised. To maximize the viability of the combined approach, smart surfaces have been developed to kill, resist and/or release bacteria. Nevertheless, this requires an external treatment to convert surface structures, which is not available at present. The proposed peptide overcomes the above limitations and automatically performs different antibacterial tasks simultaneously on any parts of the surface composed of this material, enhancing the overall antibacterial efficacy. Students would be trained in peptide synthesis and characterization, and exposed to rigorous antibacterial assays and analyses. The goal is to enhance their appreciation of this fundamental work and its impact to the community in fighting bacterial infections.
