Medical Device Infections
and clinical biofilm treatment
Medical devices such as indwelling catheters present special challenges in microbial infection, since the devices are kept in place for extended periods. Many implanted medical devices are made from PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), a clear elastomeric material. To improve in vitro modeling of infections, we've developed a BioFlux plate that features 100% PDMS flow channels. An example of a study performed on these plates is shown below.
All-PDMS plates are available for all BioFlux systems.
Regardless of the medical device, there will always be environmental factors that can increase the chance of infection. This figure shows (a) dental implants (b) hip arthroplasties and (c) external fixators, all of which are surrounded by microbes (Yue et al., 2015). With the BioFlux, these different conditions can be studied and manipulated in order to research how to create medical devices that reduce the risk of inflammation and infection.
BioFlux all-PDMS (silicone) plates were used with primary human urine to model catheter affiliated infections. Shown above: negative control (A), Pseudomonas aeruginosa and E. coli co-culture (B), and Staphylococcus aureus (C) grown over 13 hours.
Key BioFlux Advantages For Medical Device Infection Studies
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Microfluidic platform allows for reduced sample, volume-enabling the use of primary media including: saliva, plasma, urine, and tears
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Silicone bottom plates feature all-PDMS flow channels to address the need for research regarding biofilms that attribute to medical device infections
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Custom substrate plates feature the ability to add any material to the bottom of microfluidic flow chambers, and enable a full range of experimental protocols utilizing custom substrates
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Control physiological parameters and observe bacterial attachment and biofilm growth over a variety of substrates
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Research can include infections of dental implants; orthopedic implants; in-dwelling device surfaces; and environmental biofilms in industrial settings