Methods and compositions for the inhibition of biofilms on medical devices
View Patent ↗Embodiments of the invention provide compositions which are effective to inhibit the development of biofilms on a surface of a medical device having the composition applied thereto, to medical devices having the composition applied to a surface thereof and to methods for using the compositions to coat medical devices.
1. A medical device having a surface coated with a composition comprising a lectin, wherein:
(a) the medical device includes a metallic material;
(b) the lectin binds a compound produced by a microorganism capable of forming a biofilm on the surface of the medical device so as to enhance attachment of the microorganism to the composition comprising the lectin; and
(c) the lectin is disposed within a biodegradable polymer composition that can slough away from the surface of the medical device when the lectin is bound to the compound produced by a microorganism,
so as to inhibit formation of a biofilm on the surface of the medical device.
2. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the biodegradable polymer is a biocompatible polymer that degrades at a controllable rate within an in vivo environment.
3. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the composition further comprises at least one agent that inhibits the growth of the microorganism.
4. The medical device of claim 3 , wherein the agent is an antibiotic or an antifungal agent.
5. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the lectin binds to a compound produced by a microorganism selected from the group consisting of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus viridans, Haemophilus influenzae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Candida albicans.
6. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the lectin is wheat germ agglutinin or concanavalin A.
7. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the device is implantable.
8. The medical device of claim 7 , wherein the device comprises a drug delivery pump, a pacemaker, a cochlear implant, a shunt, a catheter or a cannula.
9. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the metallic material is titanium or stainless steel.
10. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the medical device further includes a biostable polymeric material.
11. A medical device having a surface coated with a composition comprising a lectin, wherein:
(a) the surface of the medical device includes a biostable polymeric material;
(b) the lectin binds a compound produced by a microorganism capable of forming a biofilm on the surface of the medical device so as to enhance attachment of the microorganism to the composition comprising the lectin; and
(c) the lectin is disposed within a biodegradable polymer composition that can slough away from the biostable polymeric material when the lectin is bound to the compound produced by a microorganism,
so as to inhibit formation of a biofilm on the surface of the medical device.
12. The medical device of claim 11 , wherein the biostable polymeric material comprises polytetrafluoroethylene.
13. The medical device of claim 11 , wherein the medical device further includes a metallic material.
14. The medical device of claim 1 or claim 11 , wherein the composition comprising the lectin is disposed on a region of the device having a mechanical structure that is compatible with the adherence of microorganisms.