Assessing Biofilm Infections

SLU ID 17-034 | Bacterial Biofilm Assay for the Clinical Laboratory

Background

Bacterial pathogenesis can result in acute or chronic infections. Acute infections involving bacteria that exist as single, independent cells are generally treatable with antibiotics when diagnosed quickly. However, when bacteria accumulate in slime-enclosed aggregates, known as biofilms, they can acquire a certain degree of robustness and lead to chronic infections such as pneumonia in cystic fibrosis patients, chronic wounds, chronic otitis media, and implant-associated and catheter-associated infections. These biofilm-caused chronic infections often become untreatable because of their resistance to antibiotics and ability to evade immune system defenses. Currently, there is no standardized clinical assay that can detect or quantify bacterial biofilms.

Overview

Researchers at Saint Louis University have developed a quantitative biofilm assay suitable for use in the clinical setting.

Benefits

The potential benefits of this technology include:

• Increasing ability to assess biofilms

• Increasing ability to quantify biofilm infections

• Minimizing risk of misdiagnosis

• Increasing the accuracy of biofilm infection diagnosis

• Minimizing the time it takes to diagnosis biofilm infections

• Minimizing the risk of prescribing inadequate or inappropriate treatments

Applications

The potential applications of this technology include treating various kinds of biofilm-based infections:

• Catheter-associated infections

• Implant-associated infections

• Chronic otitis media

• Chronic wounds

• Pneumonia in cystic fibrosis patients

Opportunity

Saint Louis University is seeking partners to further develop and commercialize this technology.