This Small Business Innovation Research phase I research addresses hospital infections which currently afflict 1.7 million patients and kill 99,000 in the US annually, the majority of which are associated with medical devices. Medical devices provide a surface for bacterial growth and, when penetrating the skin, a route for external bacteria to enter the bloodstream. If these infections reach the bloodstream, they lengthen average hospital stays from 5.4 to 20 days and cost up to $50,000 to treat. Existing antimicrobial coatings, which utilize the slow release of metals or other antibiotics, have a limited lifespan and increase concerns of bacterial drug resistance due to the distribution of active agent in the bloodstream. In contrast, SteriCoat is developing a coating in which the antimicrobial agent remains permanently attached to the medical device while providing antimicrobial protection. The broader impact of this development of a highly active, permanent antimicrobial coating, SteriCoat technology will be to help reduce these human and economic costs by preventing infection with fewer side effects and greater efficacy than existing, slow release coatings. The novelty and commercial potential of this technology has been recognized throughout the entrepreneurial community through awards such as first place in both the MIT 100K and the Oxford University business plan competitions. SteriCoat will first produce coated central venous catheters, which have a US market of approximately $350 million, but this highly versatile coating can be applied to devices of any size, shape, or material, leading to a host of follow on products to increase the commercial viability of the product and the impact of the product on the nation's health.
