Biofilms account for over 80% of device related microbial infections in the body. They are highly resistant to antimicrobial agents and the body's immune system. They contaminate indwelling medical devices such as catheters and joint implants causing tens of thousands of deaths each year. Silver is a well-known antimicrobial. Anti-infective, passive silver coatings have been used on catheters and for burns. These passive coatings, however, cannot deliver a sustained dose to penetrate and kill multiple biofilms. This study proposes an active, iontophoretic, delivery system - Active Antisepsis (AA) - that electronically controls the dose and penetration of silver ions surrounding a treated medical device. This technology has been tested against S.aureus biofilm in a laboratory model. The AA not only killed the biofilm, it penetrated through the initial biofilm layer to kill a second layer of biofilm. In this study, AA will be tested on titanium, a common material used in various indwelling medical devices. Initial objectives include: Coating titanium test coupons with silver. Building a silver ion release controller based on previous prototypes. Testing the AA technology in comprehensive laboratory tests to assess the ability to kill multiple layers of infectious biofilms.
