(Huntsville, Ala. | November 15, 2023) – CFD Research has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Army Defense Health Agency to develop a portable analyzer to capture and enrich bacteriophages with antibiofilm activity.
“The twenty-first century has seen a global rise in bacterial infections exhibiting antimicrobial-resistance (AMR). More than ninety percent of chronic wounds contain microbial biofilms that exhibit AMR, and the bacteria responsible for several of these recalcitrant infections are called ESKAPEE pathogens,” said Dr. Ketan Bhatt, CFD Research principal investigator for this project. “Eradicating ESKAPEE pathogenic infections is challenging, but bacteriophage (phage) therapy is emerging as a new tool to combat AMR in biofilms.”
Phages thrive in nature, but phage isolation and cultivation from environmental samples require expensive instrumentation and trained operators. In order to streamline the rapid identification and isolation of phages, CFD Research is developing a microfluidic impedance-based bacteriophage capture and antibiofilm analyzer (MIPACAA). The portable analyzer will use interchangeable, micro-scale biofilms to capture and enrich phages with antibiofilm activity from environmental samples.
This effort will lead to the development of a novel, ruggedized, near real-time, in-field system for capturing and storing environmentally-sourced phages that reduce biofilm biomass. As such, the device will be beneficial to medical surveillance units within the DoD.
“The product will allow environmental surveillance teams to screen, enrich, and recover phages that hold potential as novel antibiofilm therapeutics and as bacterial diagnostic tools,” noted Dr. Kapil Pant, CFD Research Executive Vice President. “For the civilian sector, the device will be marketed to environmental resource management inspectors, diagnostic companies, and phage biotherapeutic or pharmaceutical companies.”
About CFD Research:
Since its inception in 1987, CFD Research has worked with government agencies, businesses, and academia to provide innovative solutions within the Aerospace & Defense, Biomedical & Life Sciences, and Energy & Materials industries. Over the years CFD Research has earned multiple national awards for successful application and commercialization of innovative technology prototypes, multi-physics simulation software, multi-disciplinary analyses, and expert support services. CFD Research’s impressive three-year growth rate was high enough to recognize the company in the Inc. Magazine’s 5000 for the second year in a row. CFD Research is an ISO9001 and AS9100 registered company and is appraised at CMMI Level II for services. Learn more at www.cfd-research.com.
