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Call it a social experiment, if you will, but bacteria like to live communally. They grab onto a surface and build an entire neighborhood. They cover themselves with a protective slime, called biofilm, that acts like a force field. Bacteria-killing antibiotics can't get through.
Biofilms can gum up drinking water systems, foul pipelines and create slippery surfaces in swimming pools and spas. If they hitch a ride into the
body on a medical device, they can cause infections. All told, they cost industry billions of dollars a year to control.
Scientists from Montana State University who make it their business to study slime have six new inventions ranging from tapping slime to help hide extra carbon to stopping slime from growing on medical implants.
MSU is now licensing these inventions, and companies have until Dec. 23 to submit applications.
The inventions are:
A special coating that may inhibit biofilms from growing on the surfaces of medical implants. Bacterial infections following hip, knee or other joint-replacement surgeries can create chronic infections in patients.
Read description (pdf)
A compound that causes disease-causing biofilms to unclump, allowing traditional antibiotics a shot at killing the infection.
Read description (pdf)
Chemicals, called biocides, that can be released at a controlled rate to limit the growth of slimy bacteria in industrial water systems, spas and swimming pools.
Read description (pdf)
Combining bacteria and nutrients to create a gas-tight seal in geologic formations. The method could be used to trap gases such as carbon dioxide--implicated in global warming-- that are taken out of the atmosphere and sequestered under ground.
Read description (pdf)
A compound that improves the ability of antibiotics to kill biofilm infections.
Read description (pdf)
A natural and nonpolluting chemical that stops the growth of ocean-dwelling organisms called diatoms. Diatoms can build up on ship hulls and other submerged surfaces. The fouling can affect ship and related marine operations.
Read description (pdf)
Companies interested in licensing any of the inventions should contact Nick Zelver, MSU Technology Transfer Office, 994-7868, or by e-mail at
nzelver@montana.edu.
MSU so far has licensed 104 technologies, 65 of them to Montana companies. Ninety-three patents have been issued on the university's inventions, with another 151 pending.
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Public release date: 28 Nov 2005
MSU News Service
Contact: Nick Zelver
(406) 994-7706
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