Ultrasound-mediated targeting of resistant biofilm-forming bacteria to enhance the effect of antibiotics

Created in 2012 and affiliated to the University of Poitiers, the INSERM U1070 mixed research unit specializes in the pharmacology of anti-infective agents, operating at the interface between fundamental and clinical research.
Comprising a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, pharmacists, researchers, PhD students, and support staff, the unit deploys a translational research approach to optimize the treatment of severe infections caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens, drawing on experimental methods combined with mathematical modelling.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major world health problem. Bacterial biofilms are difficult to treat and represent one of the mechanisms of AMR. One explanation is the poor difusivity of antimicrobials into the biofilm matrix that creates a barrier to combat the embeded bacteria. This project aims at developing a new microvector consisting of microbubbles (MB) loaded with an antibiotic. Upon ultrasonic irradiation, MB generate fluid microstreams that could disrupt the biofilm, and at the same time, release the loaded antibiotic. The synergistic action of both antimicrobial mechanisms, mechanical and chemical, has the potential to combat AMR, specifically for resistant biofilm-forming bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus.

In this project antibiotic-loaded MBs will be synthesized, characterized and the concept of controlled release evaluated in new in vitro and in vivo models of biofilms. The project will be developed in collaboration with two labs at the University of Poitiers. IC2MP, specialized in materials science and the application of ultrasound for innovative processes, and PHAR2, specialized in the formulation and evaluation of antimicrobials to combat AMR. The student will develop skills in formulation and characterization of MB microvectors for controlled release of antibiotics and collaborate in the evaluation of the interaction of MB with biofilms, for example, the effect of ultrasonic irradiation on biofilm structure and viability. Overall, the objective of this multidisciplinary project is to obtain proof of concept of the use of MB to target resistant bacterial biofilms by a dual mechanism upon ultrasonic irradiation, potentially enhancing the efficacy of the antibiotic treatment.

We accept applications from students in pharmacological sciences, microbiology, formulation, nanosciences, bioengineering or related fields. As the project is multidisciplinar, the student should show interest in the different aspects related to formulation and its in-vitro evaluation on bacterial biofilm.