Nerites Receives NIH Grant to Study Novel Treatment for Preventing Dangerous Bacterial Infections on Urinary Stents and...( MADISON Wis. Jan. 21 /- While uri...),Health

MADISON, Wis., Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- While urinary stents and catheters can be life-saving medical devices, 40 percent of patients end up with bacterial infections. With 100 million placed in patients each year, this means that doctors must treat 40 million device-associated infections annually. Nerites Corporation is testing its unique new technology for preventing these dangerous infections, with funding from a $100,000 small business innovation research grant (SBIR) from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The study will determine whether Nerites novel polymer coatings can prevent biofilm growth, the source of most infections on urinary stents and catheters. Biofilms grow on the surface of the device and provide an anchor for bacteria, which then recruit other bacteria and cause infection.

"Current methods to prevent biofilms are expensive, often ineffective and can promote antibiotic resistance," said Thomas J. Mozer, Ph.D., CEO and President of Nerites Corporation. "This money will help us test our coating technology, which we believe will block biofilm formation reliably and inexpensively, without antibiotics or biocides."

About Nerites: Nerites Corporation develops novel tissue repair products as well as advanced coatings for implanted medical devices and device uses on skin based on unique "wet" adhesive compounds. These synthetic compounds are based upon research by Dr. Phil Messersmith at Northwestern University's Department of Biomedical Engineering on how marine mussels bind to surfaces underwater, are a breakthrough advance in biologically-compatible adhesives that provide completely new options for tissue repair, skin adhesives, and device coatings. Nerites is based in Madison Wisconsin. (http://www.nerites.com)