Engineering serendipity: High-throughput discovery of materials that resist bacterial attachment

Magennis, E.P.; Hook, A.L.; Davies, M.C.; Alexander, C.; Williams, P.; Alexander, Morgan R.

Abstract

Controlling the colonisation of materials by microorganisms is important in a wide range of industries and clinical settings. To date, the underlying mechanisms that govern the interactions of bacteria with material surfaces remain poorly understood, limiting the ab initio design and engineering of biomaterials to control bacterial attachment. Combinatorial approaches involving high-throughput screening have emerged as key tools for identifying materials to control bacterial attachment. The hundreds of different materials assessed using these methods can be carried out with the aid of computational modelling. This approach can develop an understanding of the rules used to predict bacterial attachment to surfaces of non-toxic synthetic materials. Here we outline our view on the state of this field and the challenges and opportunities in this area for the coming years.

Citation

Magennis, E., Hook, A., Davies, M., Alexander, C., Williams, P., & Alexander, M. R. (2016). Engineering serendipity: High-throughput discovery of materials that resist bacterial attachment. Acta Biomaterialia, 34, 84-92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2015.11.008

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 6, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Nov 28, 2015
• Publication Date: Apr 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Nov 30, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 30, 2015
• Journal: Acta Biomaterialia
• Print ISSN: 1742-7061
• Electronic ISSN: 1878-7568
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 34
• Pages: 84-92
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2015.11.008
• Keywords: Biomaterials, Bacteria, High-throughput, Biofilm, Polymers
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/777956
• Publisher URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1742706115301859