Infection-resistant coating for medical devices in development
Hitesh Handa, assistant professor in the College of Engineering, has been working to prevent infection in medical devices such as central lines and catheters. These infections affect thousands of people each year and result in prolonged hospital visits for patients. Handa has created a nitric oxide-based coating for these devices; nitric oxide is naturally used in our bodies to keep blood flowing and prevent infection. The human body will recognize catheters and various tubes as foreign invaders and clot blood around them. Aside from blood clots, a thick layer of biofilm will also form over the objects due to the attraction of microorganisms. The nitric oxide coating will allow for the reduction in clotting and the prevention of biofilm formation.
Read more about Hitesh Handa’s research here on Great Commitments.