Prosthetic joint infections are one of the most feared and common complications of joint replacement surgeries, especially when associated with prosthetic implants used in the hip and knee. The use of nanotechnology for the development of new antimicrobial coatings constitutes an important area of research for the treatment and prophylaxis of infections of these prostheses.
Pedro Soares-Castro, researcher at the João Lobo Antunes Institute of Molecular Medicine (Lisbon), leads a team working on the COLOR2COAT project, which seeks to prevent these infections. “We will take advantage of pigments produced by certain types of bacteria to develop a nanocoating that will cover the surface of titanium prosthetic implants and give them antimicrobial properties,” says the researcher. The team is testing and validating the idea in vitro, as a proof of concept, studying the antimicrobial efficacy of the nanocoating against the main pathogens associated with prosthetic joint infections. "We are using microbial strains that are susceptible to antibiotics commonly used in the treatment of prosthetic joint infections, and strains that are resistant to multiple drugs, to understand how the nanocoating can inhibit microbial colonization and prevent the establishment and progression of the disease. infection," explains Soares-Castro. The effect of the nanocoating is also being studied in human blood and bone cell lines, to confirm that it is biocompatible with tissues and does not harm the body.
The team plans to complete the in vitro proof of concept in 2025, the second year of the project. In the meantime, researchers will reach out to prosthetic manufacturers to foster collaborations for in vivo testing.
Transparency statement: This research is funded by the "la Caixa" Foundation, an entity that supports the Big Vang scientific information channel.
