A world-first anti-biofilm polymer has been developed under cooperation between Nottingham University and water management company Angel Guard.
The two organizations have jointly developed a world-first anti-biofilm polymer, Bactigon/KELT-7, which they believe will prevent bacterial biofilm formation and reduce the risk of deadly infections, causing many thousands of deaths each year. According to the team, it can achieve this without antibiotics or other toxic diffusible agents.
In addition, the anti-biofilm polymer is created to unique specifications, allowing it to be used as a plastic construction material. Not only that, but the material also can be applied as a spray coating, dipping process, or by utilizing 3D printing techniques.
Preventing Infections to End-Users
With the development of Bactigon/KELT-7 polymer, manufacturers can build anti-biofilm properties into their existing products to ensure that water systems remain biofilm-free and prevent infection to end-users. This also makes it an option for use in water, sanitary fixtures, fittings, and plumbing systems, among many other applications.
Furthermore, what makes the Bactigon/KELT-7 polymer different from other solutions is while silver and zinc additive solutions often lose their benefits when immersed in water, the new polymer under the partnership of Nottingham University and Angel Guard prevents bacterial pathogen biofilm growth when submerged in water.
Challenges Exist
One of the challenges in the development of the material was finding an anti-biofilm polymer that could withstand high temperatures in line with current hot cleaning procedures. With anti-biofilm and durable properties, the new polymer was designed and shown to be able to coat o-rings used in potable water systems using a dip-coating procedure.
Overall, the role of biofilm construction in human pathogenesis and the key strategies for the progress of antibiofilm coatings are continuing to be studied for promising antibiofilm coating approaches.
The partnership between Nottingham University and Angel Guard has produced something that is not only very much needed in the healthcare and plumbing sector but it could see massive changes to public health worldwide in the future.
Angel Guard is said itself about utilizing science, technology, and innovation, to save lives. In the past, Angel Guard also stated to have already created and produced the world’s first clinical washbasin utilizing AI technology.
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