RespiTech Team awarded ARC Grant to develop nanotechnologies for targeting biofilms.

Professors Daniela Traini and Paul Young were awarded an Australian Research Council grant to develop innovative nanotechnologies that target biofilms. Biofilms occur everywhere in nature and act as a protective matrix for aggressive bacteria and fungus that can have an effect on our health and impact on food production, processing machinery and water quality. The Linkage grant worth $420,000 is in partnership with Aradigm Corporation (USA). 

Biofilm targeting nanoparticleS

The linkage team will develop nano-particulate systems based on a single platform technology that can be used to treat both bacterial and fungal biofilms for numerous applications. The current lack of a suitable formulation and delivery system hinders the eradication of fungal and bacterial biofilms from surfaces. These new systems will have enhanced residency time, penetration properties and effectiveness in biofilms. This project intends to understand the properties that govern the formation and interactions in these systems, and develop in-vitro tools that the wider scientific community can use. The project expects to generate a single platform that can be used for the eradication of biofilms in numerous applications, from healthcare to agriculture.