Research from the Webster Nanomedicine Lab at Northeastern University in Boston shows BioTy, a modified surface treatment, successfully reduced the amount of bacteria on implant surfaces.
The modified surface treatment, from medical device company Tyber Medical, reduced Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and antibiotic-resistant E. coli without the use of pharmacological agents, according to the research.
"We have shown, for the first time, that nano-scale surface features alone can reduce implant infection without resorting to the use of antibiotics, which has clearly been shown over the past decade to be a failed attempt to eradicate implant infections," said Thomas Webster, PhD, principal investigator. "Our research has shown that this versatile surface treatment process alters surface energy to eliminate gram negative, gram positive and even antibiotic-resistant bacteria while promoting bone cell functions."