AvantGuard has been awarded a $325K NIH Phase I Grant for non-coating antimicrobial, anti-host deposition, anti-inflammatory urinary catheters.
Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) is the most common type of healthcare-associated infection, however currently there is no effective technology to address the problem. Antimicrobial (anti-biofilm) functionality on the catheter surface is an important field that has gained a lot of attention; however, commercial applications are limited due to a lack of infection control outcomes (silver-hydrogel coating) or irritation/discomfort (nitrofural) in clinical trials. Recent research has now shown that biofilm formation is caused by protein deposition which will also cause inflammation and immunoreaction. Therefore, the next generation technology needs both antimicrobial functionalities along with anti-immunoreaction capabilities to produce a compound effect for infection control.
AvantGuard has invented a new category of polymer additive product (AvantGuard365™) that can be cost-effectively blended into existing silicon rubber resins to produce silicone urinary catheters that can provide multiple functions such as antimicrobial, anti-protein adhesion and anti-inflammation. This phase I effort is geared towards answering some basic feasibility, efficacy, and safety questions about this approach using both in vitro and in vivo testing methods. AvantGuard will partner with The University of Notre Dame for some of the grant work.