The Approaching Zero Past Seminars

Abstracts and Bios

January 26: Henny van der Mei, University Medical Center Groningen

Journey to the Center of the Biofilm  

Abstract: Antibiotic-resistant bacteria is one of the biggest threats the coming years and is predicted to become the number one cause of death in 30 years from now. The excessive use of antibiotics is one of the main causes of antibiotic resistance. Since the time between the introduction of a new antibiotic and the appearance of antimicrobial resistance is becoming shorter and shorter, alternative pathways should be taken. The focus needs to become on infection-control strategies. New infection-control strategies will start with bringing the antimicrobials to the infection side and the next step will be the entrance into the biofilm. Several encapsulations of the antimicrobials have been proposed in literature. In this presentation. I will present several encapsulations of antimicrobials and discuss advantages and disadvantages.

About Henny van der Mei: Henny C. van der Mei obtained her PhD in 1989 on ‘Physico-chemical surface properties of oral streptococci’ at the University of Groningen. She became a full professor in 2001 at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University Medical Center Groningen. From 2011 to 2015 she was the director of the W.J. Kolff Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Materials Science. Her present research interests include the mechanisms of bacterial adhesion, the interplay between bacteria, tissue cells and the immune system and how to fight against antibiotic resistance of bacteria.

March 9: Andres Garcia, PhD, Georgia Institute of Technology

Infection-fighting Biomaterials  

Learn About Andres Garcia

March 30: David Andes, MD, University of Wisconsin

Construction and Destruction of the Candia Biofilm Matrix  

About David Andes: David Andes, M.D. is the William A Craig Professor in the Departments of Medicine, Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Head of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Wisconsin, and Director of the Wisconsin Antimicrobial Drug Discovery and Development NIH Center of Excellence. The focus of Dr. Andes' research program strives to identify strategies to combat antimicrobial drug resistance. His study tactics span from the bench to the clinic, including identifying biofilm resistance mechanisms, drug discovery and development, delineating the optimal dosing strategies for treatment of drug resistant infections using pharmacometric approaches, and clinical trial study of epidemiology and therapy of drug resistance.

To learn more about Dr. Andes, visit his website here.

April 20: Kornelis Poelstra, MD/PhD, Allegiant Spine Institute

Infection Associated with Spinal Surgeries  

May 11: Robin Patel, MD, Mayo Clinic

Decrypting Microbiologic Aspects of Periprosthetic Joint Infection

Abstract: In this presentation, Dr. Robin Patel will overview her work in periprosthetic joint infection. She and her team have developed and/or evaluated numerous diagnostic assays for this complicated disease, helped in defining its pathogenesis, and performed studies that inform its treatment. Diagnostic approaches in clinical use range from biofilm-sampling and assaying strategies to those focused on host response.

About Robin Patel: Robin Patel is the Elizabeth P. and Robert E. Allen Professor of Individualized Medicine and the Director of the Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory, Co-Director of the Clinical Bacteriology Laboratory, Vice Chair of Education in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, and former Chair of the Division of Clinical Microbiology, at the Mayo Clinic.

Since the beginning of her tenure at the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Patel has focused her research on bacterial infections. Her work focuses on three major areas: (1) improvement of next-generation diagnostic techniques, (2) understanding the inherent biology of periprosthetic infection, and (3) understanding antibiotic resistance through a clinical lens. She has published over 530 peer-reviewed publications and is supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She is the Director of the Laboratory Center of the Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group of the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Patel received an undergraduate degree in Chemistry from Princeton University, where she graduated magna cum laude. From there, she obtained a medical degree from McGill University. Afterwards, Dr. Patel completed Internal Medicine Residency and Fellowships in Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at the Mayo Clinic. Since then, she has been involved in setting standards for diagnostic and clinical care of bacterial infections, as evidenced by the (select) positions she has held or holds within the American Society for Microbiology (President), American Board of Pathology (Microbiology Test Writing Committee Member), Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (Subcommittee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing Voting Member), National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Council Member), National Board of Medical Examiners (Microbiology/Immunology Test Material Development Committee Chair), Journal of Clinical Microbiology (Associate Editor), and Clinical Infectious Diseases (Associate Editor).

In addition, Dr. Patel’s continued commitment to mentorship can be translated into a long list of trainees from around the world; she had dedicated hours of teaching to train the next generation of scientists and MDs.

More information can be found at: https://journals.asm.org/doi/full/10.1128/JCM.01259-20

Abstracts and Bios

September 15: David Grainger, University of Utah

Infection-Resisting Biomaterials: Surveying The State of the Field and Directions for the Future

Abstract: Despite many materials designs, innovations and antimicrobial approaches continuing to address infection prophylaxis and infection treatments, few concepts ever make it beyond preclinical testing to clinical use. Fewer still are commercialized for global use. This is because very few strategies actually exhibit convincing efficacy in vivo in human infections despite promising in vitro antimicrobial efficacy and even some translation to animal implant models. Lack of agreement or standardization of experimental protocols, a general lack of correlation between in vitro and in vivo preclinical results and lack of validation between in vivo preclinical implant infection models and clinical (human) results are well-recognized.1,2 The translational impasse for antimicrobial devices is complex, confounded by problems in fundamental research models, biomaterials needs, efficacy claims, commercial manufacturing, regulatory reviews, and industrial risk-benefit assessments required for new clinical trials.

These disparities might be better understood by renewed focus on:

1. Impact of the host implant foreign body response on local host immune competence.3

2. Exploiting antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that interact uniquely with microbial membranes, resulting in pathogen death, but can be expensive, immunogenic and unstable. Few were designed to act in implant formats. Common AMP tethering reduces antimicrobial activity

3. Local drug delivery to achieve local concentrations exceeding those possible systemically, requiring reduced total drug amounts and improving delivery control. This equates to reduced risk of systemic toxicity but limited duration. Local application of antibiotics has been shown in some preclinical in vivo studies to be active against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Guidelines for local delivery (antibiotic agent selection specific to species, tissue and resistance status), clarification of pharmacodynamic principles applicable to local antimicrobial delivery, design of local delivery strategies to achieve these pharmacodynamic profiles in vivo remain as unaddressed issues.

4. Standards for preclinical research:4,5 Both in vitro and in vivo research conduct and performance standards for antimicrobial materials research must be recognized for consistency and reliability to the many antimicrobial claims published for new biomaterials.

5. Regulatory agencies must recognize that translating these new antimicrobial technologies to humans is both high risk and cost-prohibitive currently.1,2 Types of data and antimicrobial validation for clinical trials must be clear.

6. A holistic antimicrobial approach that encompasses clinical practices, patient health status, implant type and design, pathogen profiles for that implant, and standards of care.

About David Grainger: David Grainger is a University Distinguished Professor and Department Chair of Biomedical Engineering, and Distinguished Professor of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Utah, USA. Grainger’s research focuses on improving drug delivery methods, implanted medical device and clinical diagnostics performance, and nanomaterials toxicity. Grainger has published >220 research papers and >30 book chapters on biomaterials innovation in medicine and biotechnology, and novel surface and diagnostics chemistry. His research awards include a 2016 Fulbright Scholar Award (New Zealand), the 2013 Excellence in Surface Science Award (Surfaces in Biomaterials Foundation), the 2007 Clemson Award for Basic Research (Society for Biomaterials), and the 2005 American Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturer’s Association’s award for “Excellence in Pharmaceutics."

Grainger also has received several prominent university teaching and mentoring recognitions, as well as the 2019 Daniels Fund Award for Education in Research Ethics and 2020 International Award from the European Society for Biomaterials. He has served as Chair of several prominent USA research review panels and on the National Institutes of Health NIBIB Council. He serves on editorial boards for 6 major journals, past handling editor for the journal, Biomaterials, for over two decades, and a special topics editor for Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews. He has co-organized 33 major international symposia.

Grainger is recognized with numerous prominent university teaching awards and has provided nearly 400 invited lectures and outreach workshops globally. He provides leadership in official Scientific Advisory Board roles on several international medical technology research consortia and global research foundations. He consults widely for the biomedical device and pharmaceutical industry and has been a principal in 6 biotech start-ups, with successful commercialization efforts and marketed FDA-approved medtech products. Grainger continues to emphasize translational approaches to clinical biomaterials, and validation of clinical effectiveness in implants and drug delivery systems for value-based medicine.

October 27: Marvin Whiteley, Georgia Institute of Technology

Quantifying the Accuracy of Biofilm Infection Models

Abstract: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a bacterial pathogen that causes several important chronic infections. Because of obvious limitations on infectious disease research in human subjects, P. aeruginosa researchers rely on a variety of in vitro and animal models. No laboratory model can perfectly mimic a human infection, but the strengths and limitations of each model are often unclear. As a result, researchers rely on limited data, or simply intuition, to choose among model systems. Here, I will discuss development of a quantitative framework for choosing model systems using both P. aeruginosa gene expression and imaging data from human infections. In addition, I will discuss development of computational approaches for improving model systems by inferring environmental properties of human chronic infections from RNA-seq data. The ultimate goal is to provide a grounded framework for model choice as well as identify key differences between the physiology of P. aeruginosa when growing in infection models and in the human infections they represent.

About Marvin Whiteley: Dr. Whiteley received his B.S. degree in Zoology in 1995 from the University of Texas at Austin and his Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Iowa in 2001. His doctoral research involved quorum sensing and biofilm formation in the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Following a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Stanford University in 2002, Dr. Whiteley accepted a position as an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma/Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. In 2006, Dr. Whiteley moved to the University of Texas at Austin where he was promoted to Professor of Molecular Biosciences and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease. In 2017, he accepted the Bennie H. & Nelson D. Abell Chair and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Molecular and Cellular Biology at Georgia Institute of Technology. He currently serves as Co-Director of the Emory-Children’s CF Center (CF@LANTA). He has received numerous awards including the Merck Irving S. Sigal Memorial Award for national research excellence, the Burroughs Wellcome Investigators in Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease award, recognition as a Kavli fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, the Dean’s teaching excellence award at UT-Austin, and election to the American Academy of Microbiology.

November 10: Darla Goeres, Montana State University

Medical Devices and Biofilm Regulatory Science

Abstract: The Center for Biofilm Engineering has launched a new regulatory science program with the intent to promote innovation by creating a culture that bridges a regulatory science mission and novel technology solutions to real world problems. The goal is for the CBE to be at the nexus of innovation and regulatory science with regards to the fate and transport of biofilm in the body, environment and engineered systems. The regulatory science program is built upon the pillars of education, research, and technology transfer with standard methods serving as the key communication and decision making tool. In this presentation, a method to assess antimicrobial catheters will illustrate how standard methods are foundational to the regulatory science process.

Urinary catheters are a critical medical device in modern medicine, used in almost every healthcare setting worldwide. Catheter associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) account for 37% of all healthcare associated infections. Many surface modifications, such as antimicrobial coatings, have been proposed but none have resulted in a significant decrease in CAUTI. The Intraluminal Catheter Model (ICM) was developed to evaluate the efficacy of surface modifications to inhibit biofilm growth on the catheter lumen. The ICM was subjected to a rigorous statistical evaluation of its ruggedness, responsiveness, and repeatability. The ruggedness test results were incorporated into a proposed Standard Test Method titled ‘Intraluminal Catheter Model used to Evaluate Antimicrobial Urinary Catheters for Prevention of Escherichia coli Biofilm Growth’ that was submitted to ASTM Committee E35 on Pesticides, Antimicrobials, and Alternative Control Agents. Committee E35 approved the method in October 2021. The development and validation of a standardized in vitro method which reflects the physiological conditions of CAUTI will help FDA regulators more accurately screen potential devices prior to a clinical trial.

About Darla Goeres: Dr. Darla Goeres has over twenty-five years of experience researching biofilm bacteria in a range of industrial and engineered systems including biofilms found in beer draught lines, Danish district heating distribution pipes, anaerobic biofilms in soured oil fields, and biofilms in recreational water systems. She has evaluated a multitude of treatment strategies for killing, removing and/or preventing biofilm formation. In 1996, Dr. Goeres was visiting researcher at the Danish Technological Institute in Aarhus Denmark, and in 2014 she was a Fulbright scholar at Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland.

Dr. Goeres leads the Standardized Biofilm Methods Laboratory (SBML) team at the Center for Biofilm Engineering, whose mission is the development and validation of quantitative standard methods for growing, treating, sampling and analyzing biofilm bacteria. A leader in developing biofilm standard methods, Dr. Goeres is a long time member of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) subcommittee E35.15 and facilitated the acceptance of the first approved standard methods for biofilm bacteria. This work continues with the approval of ASTM Method E3321 titled “Standard Test Method for an Intraluminal Catheter Model used to Evaluate Antimicrobial Urinary Catheters for Prevention of Escherichia coli Biofilm Growth.” In October 2021, Dr. Goeres was awarded “ASTM Professor of the Year.”

In March 2020, Dr. Goeres was appointed Research Professor of Regulatory Science. In her new role, she will develop a regulatory science program at the CBE with a goal of engaging regulatory and industrial decision makers in the development of tools that enable innovation in biofilm science and technology.

December 8: Rodney Donlan, Centers for Disease Control

Characterizing Biofilms on Intravascular Catheters as Microbial Communities

Abstract: Intravascular catheters (IC) are indwelling medical devices used for administering fluids, medications, parenteral nutrition, and blood products; to monitor hemodynamic status; and to provide hemodialysis. Use of intravascular catheters in patient care may be associated with increased risk of central line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), and antimicrobial resistance. Microorganisms originating from the patient’s microbiome (skin, oral, gastrointestinal tract), the environment, contaminated catheter hubs or needleless connectors, or from hematogenous seeding may colonize the catheter to develop a biofilm. Biofilms are sessile microbial communities composed of microbial cells and an extracellular matrix (termed extracellular polymeric substance or EPS), that may contain specific polysaccharides, proteins, and extracellular DNA. Microbial attachment to the catheter will be influenced by the physical and chemical characteristics of the catheter surface, the composition of the host-produced “conditioning film”, composition and fluid dynamics of the aqueous medium in the catheter, and properties of the microbial cell surface. The anatomical site of catheter insertion may also influence biofilm formation because the catheter insertion site has been reported to affect the composition of catheter or needleless connector microbial communities. The microorganisms comprising IC biofilms are diverse and the microbial communities on these devices may be polymicrobic, containing multiple taxa. Microbial communities may be characterized with respect to the microbial diversity, the ways that member organisms interact, levels of organization, temporal progression, and resilience or stability. Recent studies have utilized culture-independent methods, based on amplification of the 16S rRNA gene from IC biofilm samples to provide evidence that these biofilm microbial communities may be highly diverse, containing many organisms that have not previously been detected using traditional culture methods. Microorganisms in the IC biofilm interact with one another, the substratum, and the host environment to produce a structure (the biofilm EPS) which is critical in the adhesion, dispersal, tolerance to antimicrobial agents, and the spread of antimicrobial resistance genes. The host environment may also influence biofilm structure. Catheters coated with antimicrobial or anti-biofilm agents can reduce but not prevent microbial attachment and biofilm formation for short periods of time. Novel technologies are needed and should be evaluated in animal model systems or in clinical studies using methods that accurately quantify microbial attachment to the catheter surface.

About Rodney Donlan: Dr. Rodney Donlan is the Team Leader for the Biofilm and Water Quality Applied Research Team in the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA. He joined the CDC in 1998 as a research microbiologist to create the Biofilm Laboratory in the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion. The Biofilm Laboratory performs applied public health research to investigate the role of microbial biofilms in healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance and evaluate new methods for their detection and control. He has mentored many students and fellows since joining CDC and has developed numerous research collaborations with industrial partners and academic centers. Prior to joining CDC he was employed by Calgon Corporation as a Research Associate and by Philadelphia Suburban Water Company as Supervisor of Laboratories and Technical Services. He is board certified in microbiology by ASCP, a Registered Microbiologist, a life member of the American Water Works Association, and a member of the American Society for Microbiology since 1976. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Virginia Tech and his Ph.D. from Drexel University. 

Abstracts and Bios

January 27: Henk Busscher, University Medical Center Groningen

Fulfilling the Promises of Biomaterial for Infection Control

Abstract: Antimicrobial-resistant bacterial infections threaten to become the number one cause of death. Most infections, oral, skin, organ or biomaterial-associated, are due to bacteria in their biofilm-mode-of-growth, in which bacteria adhering to a surface respond to the adhesion forces experienced by producing extracellular-polymeric-substances (EPS). The EPS-matrix protects bacteria against the host-immune system and antibiotic penetration. This protective mechanism adds to the intrinsic antibiotic-resistance bacteria may acquire. Nano-structured surfaces and nano-sized materials annually yield hundreds of scientifically-interesting papers, describing novel infection-control strategies, circumventing the penetration-barrier posed by the EPS-matrix and not inactivated by bacterial antibiotic-resistance mechanisms. The majority of these papers conclude “this novel strategy is promising for clinical infection-control”. Yet, clinical translation seldom occurs for various reasons: poor prospects for return-of-investment and regulatory requirements discourage commercialization; human clinical trials are difficult and costly; societal concerns against animal studies are increasing; infections inflicted to animals are mild unlike in severely infected patients, yielding results with low relevance for human clinical outcome. However, even the most sophisticated in vitro models cannot replace an animal experiment. This lecture describes novel infection-control strategies and proposals to enhance the relevance of animal testing with the aim to stimulate fulfilling of the promises of novel infection-control strategies.

About Henk Busscher: Henk J. Busscher obtained a degree in Engineering, Physics and Materials Science at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands, where he also obtained his PhD on streptococcal adhesion to surfaces. He became full professor in 1998, owns a consulting company “Scientific and Applied Surface Advice” and is editor of “Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces.” In 1995 he founded the KOLFF Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Material Science at the University Medical Center Groningen. His research interests focus on physico-chemical, microbiological and clinical aspects of biofilm-associated infections, especially infections occurring biomaterials implants and devices. He has published over six hundred peer reviewed papers (H-factor 80).

February 17: Kenneth Urish MD Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh

Bad to the Bone: Biofilm and Surgical Infection

Abstract: Infection remains the oldest and largest challenge in surgery. Knee and hip arthroplasty or total joint replacement provides an excellent illustration of this problem. Arthroplasty is one of the largest major surgical procedures in the world by volume and is an engineering marvel. It has been named one the greatest medical innovations of the twentieth century. Periprosthetic joint infection is the most common cause for total knee arthroplasty failure, and is a devastating surgical complication. Similar to other surgical site infections, morbidity and mortality is high. Staphylococcus aureus is the most common organism associated with surgical infections, including periprosthetic joint infection. These organisms can rapidly form a biofilm in the wound and on the implant. First-line treatment for surgical infection is irrigation, debridement, and treatment with long term antibiotics. Failure rate of irrigation and debridement is high. This high failure rate is a result of the high tolerance of biofilm to antibiotics. This tolerance is regulated by a number of different mechanisms that will be discussed. Clinical vignettes that outline challenges and limitations of current treatment strategies and the need for new technology will be highlighted.

About Kenneth Urish: Ken Urish MD PhD is an Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.He is the Director of the Arthritis and Arthroplasty Design Group. Funded by the National Institute of Health, the group’s focus is on translational research in orthopaedic infection. He is involved with a number of prospective clinical studies aimed at improving the treatment of surgical infection, including a series of FDA studies investigating new antibiotic and delivery devices.As an Associate Medical Director at the Magee Bone and Joint Center, he manages a busy surgical practice focused on primary and revision knee and hip replacement.

March 10: Katharina Ribbeck, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Partners in Slime: How Mucus Regulates Microbial Virulence

Abstract: Mucus is a biological gel that lines all wet epithelia in the body, including the mouth, lungs, and digestive tracts, and has evolved to protect us from pathogenic invasion. Microbial pathogenesis in these mucosal systems, however, is often studied in mucus- free environments, which lack the geometric constraints and microbial interactions that are found in natural, three- dimensional mucus gels. To bridge this gap, my laboratory has developed model test systems based on purified mucin polymers, the major gel-forming constituents of the mucus barrier. We use this model to understand how the mucus barrier influences bacterial virulence, and moreover, to elucidate strategies used by microbes to overcome the normal protective mucus barrier. I will discuss data showing that the mucus environment has a significant impact on the physiological behavior of microbes, including surface attachment, quorum sensing, the expression of virulence genes, and biofilm formation. The picture is emerging that mucins are key host players in the regulation of microbial virulence and can guide the fabrication of advanced polymers to regulate host-microbe interactions.

About Katharina Ribbeck: Prof. Ribbeck obtained her Bachelor’s degree and her PhD in Biology from the University of Heidelberg, Germany. She continued her postdoctoral research at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany, and the Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School. She established her independent research group as a Bauer Fellow at the FAS Center for Systems Biology, Harvard University in 2007, and joined the Department of Biological Engineering at MIT as an Assistant Professor in 2010. Her research group focuses on basic mechanisms by which mucus barriers exclude, or allow passage of, different molecules and pathogens as well as the mechanisms that pathogens have evolved to penetrate mucus barriers. The broad objective is to provide the foundation for a theoretical framework that captures general principles governing selectivity in mucus and other biological hydrogels such as the extracellular matrix and bacterial biofilms.

March 31: Nicholas M. Bernthal, M.D., David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Biofilms in Bone Tumor Patients: Quantitative Science Chasing Clinical Imperatives

Abstract: TBA

About Nicholas M. Bernthal: Dr. Nicholas Bernthal is the Chief of the Division of Musculoskeletal Oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He graduated magna cum laude and phi beta kappa from Princeton University and received alpha omega alpha honors from Cornell University Medical School. He did his residency at UCLA in orthopaedic surgery and did fellowships in orthopaedic research and musculoskeletal oncology at UCLA and the Huntsman Cancer Institute, respectively. His clinical interests are bone and soft tissue tumors and his NIH-funded laboratory is pioneering new implant coatings to prevent surgical infections. He has developed a novel preclinical mouse model of orthopaedic implant infection that uses real-time in vivo bioluminescent imaging to quantify bacterial burden and host immune response. This has served as an important tool to study novel therapeutics, prophylactic agents, and host protective immunity. His laboratory has also contributed to the understanding of the host immune response to surgical site infections as well to understanding and describing the long-term outcomes on oncologic treatments, both medical and surgical, for osteosarcoma.

April 21: Kendra Rumbaugh, Department of Surgery at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

Understanding and Treating Biofilms in Wound Infections

Abstract: Wound infections are a major source of morbidity and mortality worldwide and exert a tremendous economic burden. These infections are typically comprised of complex, polymicrobial, biofilm-associated communities, which are exceedingly tolerant to antibiotic treatment and often result in amputation. Unfortunately, many of these infections are inadequately diagnosed, antibiotic susceptibilities of the causative microbes are not well-predicted, and treatments are ineffective. We have developed in vitro and in vivo models of polymicrobial wound infection to study how biofilms affect the course of infection and the efficacy of treatments. After a decade of performing pre-clinical studies to test experimental wound infection therapeutics, it is clear that targeting the biofilm has to be a first step in any effective treatment. Here I will discuss how the biofilm lifestyle of bacteria in wounds poses challenges to treatment and how biofilm-degrading enzymes can be used to potentiate therapy.

About Kendra Rumbaugh: Kendra Rumbaugh was born in New Mexico and received her B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Texas, El Paso. She attended graduate school at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) in Lubbock, and her doctoral work focused on the role of quorum sensing in the pathogenesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. After receiving her Ph.D. in medical microbiology she received a post-doctoral training fellowship from Cystic Fibrosis Research Inc. and moved to San Francisco to work in the Wiener-Kronish laboratory at UCSF. She eventually returned to Lubbock, where she is now a tenured Professor in the Department of Surgery, with joint appointments in Depts. of Cell Biology and Biochemistry and Immunology and Molecular Microbiology, at TTUHSC. Dr. Rumbaugh's research focuses on understanding and treating wound infections, and she is especially interested in how biofilms, polymicrobial interactions and quorum sensing contribute to bacterial pathogenesis. Dr. Rumbaugh has also been a long-term active mentor of undergraduate, graduate and medical students through CISER/HHMI (for which she is co-director), SABR (TTUHSC's Summer Accelerated Biomedical Research Program, for which she is co-director), The West Texas Association for Women in Science (for which she is a co-founder and previous President) and the American Society for Microbiology (for which she is the current President of the Texas Branch).

May 12: Noreen Hickok, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University

The Synovial Environment and Joint Infection

Abstract: Despite many brilliant approaches to minimize implant-associated infections, especially those associated with orthopaedic devices, peri-operative infection has become a major problem with imperfect solutions. Central to joint infections is the role of the synovial environment. While the joint exists in a relatively hypoxic environment, we have found that the role of hypoxia is eclipsed by the effect of the synovial fluid on contaminating S. aureus. The protein-rich, viscous fluid influences biofilm character, antibiotic tolerance, and virulence. We have explored methods to allow restoration of antibiotic sensitivity and perhaps change a life-threatening infection into one that can be predictably treated.

About Noreen Hickok: Noreen J Hickok, Ph.D. is a professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. For the last 20 years, she and her colleagues within the have been exploring means of preventing establishment of infection in the joint environment. Dr. Hickok’s research interests reflect her early training and center at the interface of technology, chemistry and biology with a strong eye towards their translation to the real world. She received her early training in chemistry, earning an S.B. from MIT and a Ph.D. from Brandeis University. Her postdoctoral research encompassed protein biochemistry, molecular endocrinology, and molecular biology first at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center then at The Population Council in New York City. Since joining Thomas Jefferson University, her interest in cellular/bacterial interactions and their regulation has dominated her research. This research has resulted in the development of surfaces that are antibacterial while maintaining cellular compatibility as well as new insights on the role of the joint environment on the etiology of infection.