’silver bullet’ to keep medical devices free of bacteria

Photo of a coated versus an uncoated catheter. Credit: Kizhakkedathu Lab - Science, Health & Technology - Erik Rolfsen University of British Columbia researchers have found a 'silver bullet' to kill bacteria and keep them from infecting patients who have medical devices implanted. The team from UBC and the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute has developed a silver-based coating that can easily be applied to devices such as catheters and stents. Their novel formulation, discovered by screening dozens of chemical components, overcomes the complications of silver that have challenged scientists for years. "This is a highly effective coating that won't harm human tissues and could potentially eliminate implant-associated infections. It could be very cost-effective and could also be applicable to many different products," said Dr. Jayachandran Kizhakkedathu ( he/him ), professor in UBC's department of pathology and laboratory medicine, Centre for Blood Research and Life Sciences Institute and co-senior author of the study published today in ACS Central Science . Implanted medical devices can save lives, but they carry a great risk of infection which usually arises from contamination as the device is being implanted.