Materials and Technological Solutions Preventing Biofilms and Antimicrobial Resistance

Dear Colleagues,

Biofilms and antimicrobial resistant microorganisms are the main source of infections in humans, and conventional disinfectants/antibiotics rarely succeed in destroying them. Materials science can offer non-conventional solutions, complementing the standard biomolecular and pharmaceutical approaches.

Scope:

This symposium aims at:

(i) Providing a detailed and critical overview of the most successful results on novel smart materials or surface processes fighting antimicrobial-resistant strains and/or preventing biofilm formation;

(ii) Critically presenting next generation bioactive agents, targeting the ultimate prevention and destruction of antimicrobial resistant strains and /or biofilms in industrial and biomedical fields. Bioactive agents will include, for instance: inorganic nanomaterials, hybrid/synergistic nanoantimicrobials, and any other novel antimicrobial and antibiofilm compounds (bacteriophages, endolysins, exopolysaccharide depolymerases, bacteriocins, etc.);

(iii) Showcasing the different characterization approaches for the study of solid state surface-biofilm interactions at different stages of the biofilm growth;

(iv) Gaining fundamental knowledge about the (bio)physicochemical mechanisms of biofilm formation, including all the possible aspects contributing to the understanding and monitoring biofilm biogenesis and identification of new targets for detecting biofilms;

(v) Outlining all the possible materials science solutions for the assessment and/or prevention of nanotoxicology issues related to the use of novel nanoantimicrobials and related biocide agents;

(vi) Providing an integrated vision of active materials and technological solutions for early detecting and identifying biofilm formation with high sensitivity.

Hot topics to be covered by the symposium:

• Smart functional inorganic anti-biofilm nanomaterials and coatings of any composition
• Synergistic, hybrid and/or multifunctional materials fighting biofilms and antibiotic-resistant species
• Novel bioactive molecular/biogenic compounds (bacteriophages, endolysins, exopolysaccharide depolymerases, bacteriocins, etc) for biofilm inhibition and removal
• Materials science and characterization solutions for biofilm monitoring, including: sensors, electrochemical techniques, mass spectrometry, microscopy (electron, scanning probe, confocal, etc) and spectroscopy techniques of any kind