Close
The prevention of infections theme of the CDT will focus on the development and testing of technologies that eliminate or reduce the presence of pathogens on surfaces, in air and in water.
Pathogens can persist on surfaces, in water and in air and can be transmitted from one host to another via these environments. Pathogens can also multiply and form biofilms on the surfaces of medical devices (e.g., catheters or implants), thereby causing severe infections, treatment failure and high costs to health services. The prevention of infections theme of the CDT will focus on the development and testing of technologies that eliminate or reduce the presence of pathogens on surfaces (both external and internal to the body), in water and in air.
To achieve this, we will deliver research training via, e.g., • studies on how infection-control practice and building design impact on the distribution and spread of AMR pathogens via surfaces, via water, heating and ventilation systems in healthcare environments; • novel technologies/materials for decontamination and (their use in) building design; • development and testing of novel surfaces with antimicrobial properties (e.g., antibiofouling) to use for medical devices, preventing biofilm formation and infection.
Research Theme Contacts:
Richard Beckett & Lena Ciric
Example PhD Project
- Biologically active materials to reduce the pathogens in built environments.
Student UG/PGT background:
Engineering design, civil/mechanical engineering, architecture.
Project details:
Biologically active materials and products have shown potential for broader application in built environment biocontrol. These approaches seek to overcome the unintended consequences of indiscriminate antibiotic biocontrol strategies, which may inadvertently select for drug-resistant microorganisms. This project will engineer benign microbes into compliant materials to facilitate their consistent and reproducible supply in built environments, and therefore outcompete drug-resistant pathogens. These microbes will be tested in real-world settings, assessing their ability to mitigate pathogen burden on different surface materials, the building, environmental, and occupational factors that influence distribution of benign microbes, and assessing for the potential to integrate them into materials that promote dispersion.
External engagement:
NHS (e.g., UCLH or Great Ormond Street Hospital), UKHSA, architecture and design firms.
Project impact:
Development of novel biologically active materials; material commercialisation.
Student career destination:
Healthcare built environment, engineering consultancy, academia.