About
Assistant Professor
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
UCLA
Project title: Novel Antibacterial Coatings Preventing Implant Infections
Mentors:
John Adams, MD - UCLA
Jeff Miller, PhD - UCLA
Moshe Arditi, MD - Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
George Liu, MD - Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Lloyd Miller, MD, PhD - Johns Hopkins Medicine
Multidisciplinary Expertise:
Inflammation, Infectious Disease, Orthopaedic Surgery, Bioengineering, Immunology
Project Description:
Implant infection after orthopaedic surgery is devastating to patients, leading to multiple reoperations and increased morbidity and mortality. These infections are also an enormous burden to our health system, comprising more than $8 billion in additional health care spending. This project will explore novel antimicrobial coatings aimed at reducing the incidence and virulence of implant infection. We will utilize a novel mouse model of orthopaedic implant infection to assess in vivo efficacy and safety of these coatings and analyze effects on osseointegration. We will also examine the mechanism of bacterial evasion of antimicrobial effects. In sum, this project will provide the groundwork for developing an effective, well-tolerated antimicrobial coating ready for large animal study and/or human clinical trial.