Sharklet Technologies to Receive Award for Paper on Novel Approach to Decreasing VAP

Sharklet Technologies, Inc. announces that it has been selected by the Society of Critical Care Medicine as a recipient of the 2013 Pulmonary Specialty Award. The company's abstract, "Micro-Patterned Surfaces for Reducing Bacterial Biofilm Formation on Endotracheal Tubes: A Novel Approach to Decreasing the Incidence of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia," has been chosen for an oral presentation at the society's 42nd annual Critical Care Congress in January 2013 in Puerto Rico.
 
Society of Critical Care Medicine Awards are intended to recognize excellence in critical care research. Upon review, the organization noted that Sharklet Technologies' abstract "undoubtedly fulfills the criteria for award selection."

Sharklet Technologies' abstract presents a novel approach to decreasing incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). VAP is a leading healthcare-acquired infection in intensive care units despite improved patient care practices and advancements in endotracheal tube designs. The endotracheal tube provides a conduit for bacterial access to the lower respiratory tract and an environment for biofilm formation -- both of which can lead to VAP.

In the paper, Sharklet Technologies' researchers present Sharklet, an ordered micro-texture, as a non-toxic and antibiotic-free approach to bacterial inhibition. Researchers suggest that the integration of the Sharklet texture into the surface of the endotracheal tube may reduce bacterial colonization and migration of bacterial along the device shaft.
 
Sharklet has been shown to reduce microbial attachment, migration and biofilm formation of several pathogens without the use of antimicrobial agents. Presented in this abstract, Sharklet Technologies demonstrated Sharklet's bacterial-inhibition capabilities with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus -- strains that are known culprits that contribute to VAP. In triplicate experiments that mimicked a tracheal environment, Sharklet was shown to reduce P. aeruginosa biofilm formation by 58 percent. Similarly, Sharklet reduced S. aureus biofilms by 67 percent. 

The Sharklet micro-pattern reduces P. aeruginosa biofilm formation in a mucin-rich environment by an average of 58 percent (p=0.009), as averaged over results from three separate experiments. A representative image was obtained by compiling the stack of images taken through the biofilm.
 
"We are thrilled to receive this prestigious award and for the opportunity to orally present our abstract at this significant global conference," says Mark Spiecker, chief executive officer at Sharklet Technologies. "This recognition further validates our approach to bacterial inhibition and the healthcare community's desire to pursue new non-toxic, biocide-free approaches to bacterial management."
 
In additional to the evaluation of an endotracheal tube, the company is actively pursuing an array of Sharklet-patterned medical devices, including a central venous catheter, as well as high-touch surface technologies and the surfaces of consumer goods.