New Strategy for Biofilm Control

Background

Biofilms are a pervasive problem across numerous global industries, including oil & gas production and healthcare. Microbes have spent millennia learning how to survive, and society remains in critical need of effective strategies to remove them without harsh or damaging processes. Microbial biofouling currently costs tens of billions of dollars a year to deal with, from fouling of filtration membranes, to the corrosion of ship hulls. New biofilm clearance strategies are now required, to harness microbiological understanding to efficiently eradicate microbial contamination.

Technology Description

UC San Diego researchers have recently made dramatic discoveries relating to the activity and control of biofilm formation and growth. The main problem is that bacteria deep within the biofilm interior are sheltered and not accessible to treatment. Therefore, UCSD researchers figured out an innovative way to kill the biofilm from within providing complete eradication of biofilms. This recent paradigm-shifting science offers new strategies for dealing with biofilms in a targeted, controlled, and efficient manner.

Our patent pending technology now needs suitable partners to translate these innovative discoveries into practical industrial use. Each implementation of our processes may be unique. The methods for cleaning oil pipelines may be different from that used for cleaning surgical instruments, or filtration units, or even teeth!

Patent Status