INDUSTRY NEWS
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Patterned after the microscopic structures found on shark skin (shown above), Sharklet has been shown to inhibit biofilm formation for 21 days in lab tests.
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A spinoff of the University of Florida (Gainesville, FL, USA), Sharklet Technologies has developed a unique material that could be used to reduce hospital-acquired infections. The researchers came up with the idea for the material while pondering why sharks’ skin—unlike that of whales and other slow-moving sea dwellers—remains free of barnacles and algae. It turns out that the answer lies with the microscopic, diamond-shaped features known as denticles, which also inhibit the formation of harmful bacterial biofilms.
The researchers developed a silicone material known as Sharklet to mimic the microscopic structures found on shark’s skin. The nontoxic and nonleaching material has been found in laboratory testing to be effective against bacteria such as S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and E. coli, which are common sources of hospital-acquired infections. “It’s the first nontoxic, long-lasting, and no-kill surface to control the growth of harmful microorganisms,” says Mark Spiecker, the company’s vice president of operations. Sharklet could be directly applied to the surfaces of devices such as catheters and other invasive medical devices. In lab tests, the material inhibited biofilm formation for 21 days. Conversely, biofilm formation on common biomaterial surfaces can occur within several hours. “It’s important to note that these results came from laboratory tests using petri dishes,” Brennan notes. “The surface is potentially capable of indefinitely delaying [biofilm] formation in clinical settings,” he adds.
The company hopes to sell the material to hospitals and medical device companies sometime next year.
For more information on the material, contact Sharklet Technologies, P.O. Box 1799, Alachua, FL 32616, USA; phone: +1 303 921 5789; e-mail: info@sharklet.com; Internet: www.sharklet.com.
