LONDON, ON – Lawson Health Research Institute's Drs. Peter Cadieux and Hassan Razvi have been awarded just over $566,000 as part of a $2.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health Research (NIH). With this funding, Cadieux and Razvi will explore the potential of novel coatings to significantly reduce bacterial adherence to urinary tract stents and catheters.
The grant was awarded in collaboration with Nerites Corporation Ltd., the producer of novel antimicrobial coatings. Although the coatings were originally developed to reduce bacterial build-up on orthopaedic implants and in dental equipment water lines, Drs. Cadieux and Razvi suspected they might have a similar urological potential. Through previous investigations, their research has shown that several of the coatings can prevent uropathogenic bacteria from attaching to device surfaces. For instance, their initial work with coated polyurethane demonstrated a greater than 99% reduction in the attachment of several bacteria common to urinary tract infections. This was followed by an animal study involving E. coli-infected rabbits, where 80% of those implanted with coated ureteral stent material cleared the infection in just three days compared to only 10% of control rabbits. These results suggest exciting possibilities for uteral health, with the potential to improve both prevention and treatment of urinary device-associated infections.
Over the next three years, Nerites Corporation will continue to improve upon their existing coatings while also developing new ones. Drs. Cadieux and Razvi will then assess them for bacterial resistance, biocompatibility and infection prevention properties, both at the lab bench and in animal models. To support this research, they plan to fund three graduate students through the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at The University of Western Ontario, and to engage Endourology research fellows at St. Joseph's Health Care London.
"Dr. Razvi and I are excited to continue this exceptional collaboration with Nerites Corporation," Dr. Cadieux says. "This funding will hopefully lead to the development and implementation of novel urinary tract device coatings for human clinical application that resist infection."
The funding is provided by a Small Business Innovation Research Phase II grant through the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) division within NIH.
Dr. Cadieux is the Miriam Burnett Research Chair in Urological Sciences at St. Joseph's Health Care London, Assistant Professor in the Departments of Surgery and Microbiology at The University of Western Ontario, and a Scientist at the Canadian Research and Development Centre for Probiotics.
Dr. Razvi is a Professor and Chair of Urology at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at The University of Western Ontario, and the Chief of Urology at St. Joseph's Health Care London and London Health Sciences Centre.