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Can technology based on sharks fight infections?

Infection Control Monitor, July 11, 2008

Researchers have long known that shark skin is well-protected against microbes in the ocean.

Now a new company is betting it can fight the spread of infections with technology modeled after shark skin, according to a report in the Denver Business Journal. The company, Sharklet Technologies, LLC, believes the pattern on the skin surface of sharks helps repel infection. Based on that research, the company has an exclusive license to commercialize a modified version of the pattern which can be etched onto surfaces through a process called deep ion lithography, the Journal reported.

The skin pattern can delay the growth of several harmful bacteria for as long as three weeks, according to company research. Sharklet sees potential uses for the skin pattern in the disposal medical device and catheter markets. They believe it could replace silver, for instance, which has antimicrobial properties that can delay bacterial growth for only a few days. The skin pattern also could be produced on coatings for surfaces in hospitals and other healthcare facilities, the Journal reported. For example, the pattern could be etched into coatings on hospital-bed railings, trays, and other surfaces that hospitals disinfect. These items could be washed normally yet still fight the spread of infections.

Sharklet hopes its product will be commercially available by the end of this year, the Journal reported.

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