Researchers develop device to grow biofilms and test antibiotic susceptibility
A team at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia has created a new device to simulate natural conditions for growing biofilms and testing antibiotic treatments.
New tool mimics body conditions
The XpertBiofilm unit allows scientists to grow microbial communities under continuous liquid flow. This method replicates the environment bacteria face inside human lungs, blood, or urine. The setup provides a more accurate picture of how these communities resist standard drugs.
Study addresses chronic infections
Biofilms protect microbes from the immune system and antibiotics far better than free-floating cells do. Common conditions like cystic fibrosis and COPD often involve these hard-to-treat infections. The research team published their findings in the journal Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces.
Project led by IBEC group
Eduard Torrents served as the principal investigator for this project at the University of Barcelona. Núria Blanco-Cabra acted as the first author on the study paper. The work aims to help predict which specific treatments will succeed in each case.
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