Antimicrobial Virulence of Micropatterned Surfaces in Hospital Environment – INFECTION

Our objective is to design original biocide surfaces which judiciously associates photostimulable building block biosourced polymers and modified dyes (generating reactive oxygen species (ROS)) and a two photon 3D photoprinting strategy. We suggest to design 3D-microstructured coatings on plastic/metal/silicon/glass surfaces daily manipulated by the operating team or patients. These 3D-coatings will be designed from bio-sourced monomers and dyes derivatives capable to generate locally biocide ROS through photoactivation under visible-light irradiation. Porphyrins, eosin and polyphenols dyes are proposed due to their high absorption coefficients in the visible range, and their high quantum yields of ROS production under visible-light activation. The rapid amplification of ROS concentration within the µ-volumes will rapidly result in a highly virulent biocidal effect. We expect to develop in a reduced time, antibacterial micro-structured and reusable coatings, for rapid disinfection without any toxicity. A huge variety of bacteria (E. coli, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa as model bacteria) and different hospital acquired strains in Henri Mondor Hospital will be tested for evaluating the antibacterial properties of our microstructured surfaces. Moreover, a particular attention will be given to the photostability of the dyes under visible-light irradiation and to the mechanical and adhesion properties of the microstructures on the different substrates. The major breakthroughs of INFECTION concern 1) the use of innovative 2 photon 3D-photoprinting technology for the synthesis of 3D µ-structures (cylinders, triangles, honeycombs, squares) with different controlled sizes (ranging from 10 to 50 micrometers (length /height)) on different substrates (plastic/metal/silicon/glass) for bacterial trapping; 2) the spatial confinement to amplify the antibacterial virulence, 3) the use of new dyes as two-photon photo-initiators for the synthesis of 3D micro-structures from non-toxic and bio-based monomers, and as bacteria “killer”; 4) the in-situ photon-triggered production of biocide ROS responsible for the death of any kind of bacteria strains (ROS are produced from the irradiation of the dyes contained in the 3D microstructures) under visible-light irradiation and 5) long-term photoactive antibacterial properties of the different microstructured surfaces which could be reused, and 6) the rapid disinfection of modified surfaces under visible-light irradiation. A final application will focus on “retired” incubators’ plastic inside-housing surfaces from neonatal intensive care unit.