Paula Corcosa

Visiting PhD student, University of Fribourg, Switzerland

Antimicrobial bimetallic complexes with silver and other metals for medical application as coatings on implants and for tissue scaffolds

 

Supervisor in Switzerland: Prof. Katharina M. Fromm (University of Fribourg, Switzerland)

Supervisor in Erlangen: Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini

Silver cations are highly toxic to bacteria as they damage the DNA and RNA, damage and inhibit membrane proteins and enzymes and induce the formation of reactive oxygen species [1]. The aim of this project is to combine the antimicrobial silver with other antimicrobial active metals like copper or zinc [2, 3, 4] in bimetallic and bioinspired complexes to create a synergistic effect against bacteria. Moreover, this project will investigate the use of such complexes in biomedical scaffolds and coatings for applications in tissue engineering and medical implants.

[1] S. Eckhardt, P. S. Brunetto, J. Gagnon, M. Priebe, B. Giese and K. M. Fromm, Chem Rev 2013, 113, 4708-4754.

[2] Walker, M. Nature, 2015.

[3] McDevitt, C. PLoS Pathog. 7, 2011.

[4] Hong, R. Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 2012.