CYCLODEXTRINS FOR SLOW-RELEASE ANTIBIOTIC COATING

POLYMER-BASED INPLANTABLE DEVICES, SUCH AS URINARY TRACT CATHETERS, INTRAOCULAR LENSES, VASCULAR GRAFTS, AND PACEMAKER LEADS COMPRISE 80% OF ALL NON-ORTHOPEDIC IMPLANTABLE DEVICES, AND THE NUMBER IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE IN THE FUTURE. UNFORTUNATELY, POLYMER SURFACES ARE INHERENTLY SUBJECT TO ALARMINGLY HIGH DEVICE-CENTERED INFECTION RATES. SINCE SYSTEMIC TREATMENT WITH CONVENTIONAL ANTIBIOTICS DOES NOT RESULT IN SUFFICIENTLY HIGH LOCAL CONCENTRATIONS TO EFFECTIVELY TREAT THIS TYPE OF INFECTION, EXPENSIVE REOPERATIVE DEVICE REMOVAL IS VIRTUALLY ALWAYS NECESSARY. BECAUSE OF THE SERIOUS SURGICAL COMPLICATIONS, ANTIBIOTIC SLOW-RELEASE SURFACE TREATMENTS FOR IMPLANTABLE DEVICES WOULD ALLEVIATE A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH IMPLANTABLE DEVICES. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO UTILIZE OUR PROPRIETARY PHOTOIMMOBILIZATION TECHNOLOGY TO COVALENTLY IMMOBILIZE CYCLODEXTRIN INCLUSION COMPLEXES OF SPECIFIC ANTIBIOTICS ONTO MODEL HYDROPHOBIC SUPPORT MATRICES, SUCH AS URINARY TRACT CATHETERS. THESE SLOW-RELEASE ANTIMICROBIAL COATINGS WILL POTENTIALLY REDUCE THE INCIDENCE OF DEVICE- CENTERED INFECTIONS AND EXHIBIT DISTINCT ADVANTAGES OVER CURRENTLY USED PROCEDURES.