Mimicking Shark Skin to Prevent Bacterial Infections
By Francesca Bizzarri
Every day, bacteria are becoming smarter and stronger.
We have been designing ways to eliminate bacteria since we first understood their impacts on vulnerable populations. Unfortunately, our efforts have been working against us. Since the introduction of antibiotics into clinical use, bacteria have begun to protect themselves through developing antibiotic-resistant mechanisms. This is not to say that bacteria eliminating methods haven’t been effective in the past; bacteria have simply begun to understand these methods and they are becoming less effective. This increase in bacteria resistance overtime poses a huge challenge for hospitals and communities with highly vulnerable populations.
Antibiotic resistance leads to higher medical costs, prolonged hospital stays, and increased mortality rates.
Every year in the United States there are more than 2 million bacterial infections and 23, 000 deaths as a result of bacterial infections. Overusing antibiotics has led to bacterial resistance to once effective drugs and it’s the patients that suffer. Patients in hospitals who are already battling illnesses or have compromised immune systems are at a very high risk of developing infections simply by touching contaminated surfaces.
Currently, healthcare professionals use three main methods to combat these dangerous infections:
- Personal Maintenance- hand sanitation, avoiding contact with eyes and face
- Antibiotics- medications that kill bacteria
- Chemicals- sprays that sterilize surfaces
Although these precautions are generally effective, they all have a shortfall. You have no idea if the person sitting next to you has effectively washed their hands. Elevator buttons can carry all sorts of bacteria on the surface, even between cleanings. Chemical sprays are often unsustainable and negatively affect the environment. As previously mentioned, some strains of bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics.
Much to your surprise, a solution to this widespread issue could be found by looking into our oceans.
Oftentimes, nature has already overcome our biggest challenges. Biomimicry describes the emulation of biological or natural systems to solve our world’s most intimidating problems. Some of the best examples of biomimetic design include whale wind turbines, the boxfish-inspired bionic car, velcro, and most obviously, flight. So it’s not entirely surprising that nature as already created a way to minimize the risk of contracting bacterial infections. To address the problem of antibacterial resistance we can look to one of nature’s greatest predators, the shark.
Sharklet Technologies
Sharklet Technologies is a company working towards limiting bacteria growth through pattern alone. They draw inspiration from the shape and pattern of the dermal dentiles of sharkskin as sharks have evolved to be resistant to contaminating organisms in the water such as algae and barnacles.
But how does it actually work?
The Sharklet surface is made out of millions of microscopic features arranged in a distinct diamond pattern. The structure of “bumps” and “ridges” alone prevents the bacteria from attaching onto the surface, colonizing, and forming biofilms, microorganisms that can grow on many different surfaces. Opportunely, Sharklet uses no antibiotics or antimicrobials, nor toxic additives or chemicals. It is purely the structure and pattern of these microscopic elements that push bacteria off of the surface. Shark skin-like material can prevent the growth and spread of disease-causing bacteria including MRSA which are growing more and more resistant to the antibiotics used to treat these infections.
In an experiment where researchers used a paint sprayer to apply the bacteria to surfaces, similar to sneezing and a contaminated cloth to press against surfaces to represent how bacteria can spread through touching the material, Sharkelt contained 94% less MRSA bacteria compared with a regular smooth surface.
The Sharklet material doesn’t actually kill the bacteria but rather prevents bacterial contamination by making it harder for the bacteria to attach and colonize to the surface.
Researches James J. Watkins and Jessica D. Schiffman and colleagues looked into adding titanium dioxide nanoparticles, which are naturally antibacterial to the sharkskin material increasing the efficiency of the material in fighting off microbes. They found that the sharkskin surface with titanium dioxide particles killed off 95% of e-coli and 80% of Staph Aureus.
But long-term use will result in bacteria accumulation. James J. Watkins, Jessica D. Schiffman, and colleagues wanted to see if adding titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles, which are antibacterial, to a sharkskin material would efficiently fight off microbes. The sharkskin surfaces with nanoparticles exposed to UV light for one hour killed off over 95% of E. Coli and 80 percent of Staphylococcus aureus.
So what does the future hold?
The possibilities of using Shark skin-like technologies are endless; these surfaces have the potential to revolutionize the world of sanitation and save millions of lives in hospitals, nursing home facilities, and other healthcare facilities. Modifying the dimensions of the Sharklet pattern would allow it to cover something that needs to be observed like a phone screen or a computer monitor in a hospital.
Even though you cannot see the micro pattern with the naked eye, nor can you feel it with your finger, it is there protecting the surface and us from harmful bacteria and actively preventing bacterial infections in a new and unexpected way.
To learn more about Sharklet technologies, visit their website here: http://www.sharklet.com/
To look into the future of biomimicry technology, check out this site here: https://www.scoop.it/topic/biomimicry/?q=
If you would like to talk more about Sharklet technology or biomimicry reach out to me on LinkedIn here!
