In vitro and in vivo study of mono- and polymicrobial biofilms as a major cause of therapeutic failure in intensive care units (ICU).

Biofilm-related infections prove exceedingly difficult to treat because the organisms in a biofilm are protected from the circulating antimicrobials. Up till now, there have been relatively few studies investigating biofilm development in clinical isolates. Current in vitro methods for studying microbial adhesion and growth on biomaterial surfaces lack the influence of the host immune system, endorsing the specific need for animal models that allow temporal and spatial measurements based on non-invasive bio-imaging techniques usingreporter strains. To improve our ability to prevent and/or treat biofilms, we need a better understanding of their formation and persistence. The specific goals of this research proposal are to i) understand the physiology of mono- and polymicrobial biofilms, with focus on staphylococci and Candida spp., isolated from indwelling devices from ICU patients and ii) implement in vitro and in vivo laboratory biofilm models that adequately reflect the real-life situation.

Keywords:BIOFILMS

Disciplines:Microbiology, Systems biology, Immunology, Laboratory medicine, Biomarker discovery and evaluation, Drug discovery and development, Medicinal products, Pharmaceutics, Pharmacognosy and phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Pharmacotherapy, Toxicology and toxinology, Other pharmaceutical sciences