The following project has been awarded funding by the AMR network:

'Bacteriophage Immobilisation on electrospun nanofibres for wound healing applications'

Antibiotic resistance is a major threat to human health, both by compromising our ability to cure ‘ordinary’ infections, and by reducing the capacity to treat infections that arise following common surgical and cancer treatments. Bacteriophages (phages) are a logical alternative or supplementary approach to antibiotics that have been used to treat a variety of infections.

This is a proof-of-concept study aiming to evaluate the potential of immobilising S. aureus specific bacteriophages on cellulose acetate nanofibres. A number of approaches will be used to immobilise phages including simple adsorption as well as chemical approaches e.g. biotinylation of phages followed by coupling to carboxylate groups on the nanofibre. The antimicrobial efficacy of the phage immobilised nanofibres will be evaluted against exisiting strains of S. aureus.  Succesful immobilisation of bacteriophages on nanofibres will enable the development of implants and  devices that would singificantly improve our capacity to treat post surgical infections.

Project Lead: Stella Georgiadou