ABOUT
SHORT DESCRIPTION:
The treatment of implant-associated infections can be challenging because of persistence, antimicrobial resistance and / or tolerance (through excessive or misuse of antibiotics). But antibiotic treatments are often ineffective on microbial biofilms, causing infection persistence. An alternative to antibiotic therapy is the use of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Compared to antibiotics, microorganisms do not develop resistance to AMPs. This project aims at obtaining thin films which provide a solution to two different problems: early osseointegration and resistance to microbial colonization and further development of the biofilm. The thin films will be made using the matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) technique, which generates uniform and adherent coatings on various substrates, with controlled thicknesses.
OBJECTIVES:
O1. Laser fabrication of multifunctional, composite coatings based on BAV
O2. Structural, morphological and compositional characterization of BAV coatings
O3. In vitro evaluation of obtained coatings’ biocompatibility and demonstration of their antimicrobial properties against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungi, in planktonic and adherent growth state