Breakthrough Nanotechnology Reduces Infection Rates of Medical Devices--Innovation From AcryMed Disclosed At Micro Nano Breakthrough Conference
A scientific breakthrough in nanotechnology that has direct implications in the battle against hospital-related infections was disclosed to the public for the first time at the Micro Nano Breakthrough Conference, being held in Portland, Oregon.
Portland, OR (PRWEB) July 27, 2005 -- A scientific breakthrough in
nanotechnology that has direct implications in the battle against
hospital-related infections was disclosed to the public for the first time at
the Micro Nano Breakthrough Conference, being held in Portland, Oregon July 25-
July 28.th
Bruce Gibbins, PhD, Founder and Chief Technology Officer of
Portland based AcryMed, Inc. presented findings on AcryMed’s new silver
nanoparticle technology, SilvaGard™. Through the discovery of how to create
nanoparticles of silver in a solution that are easy to use and tenaciously
adhere to surfaces, SilvaGard allows medical device manufacturers to apply
antimicrobial silver to device surfaces in a uniform, non-hazardous and cost
effective manner. For the first time, antimicrobial products can be created that
are chemically and dimensionally unchanged, thus retaining all of their intended
properties.
SilvaGard has already been licensed for its first medical
device application and is currently in production.
“This is an important
step forward in the fight against a serious public health problem—hospital
related infections,” said Jack McMaken, president and CEO of AcryMed. “There are
two million hospital acquired infections annually in this country--90,000 result
in death. About half of these infections are associated with catheters and other
percutaneous devices that provide a support surface for organisms to track into
deeper tissue. A typical infection can cost as much as $47,000 per patient to
treat. Our SilvaGard treatment provides a legitimate solution to many of these
hospital related, life threatening infections by preventing the formation of
biofilms on medical devices.”
Gibbins’ presentation, entitled “The Use
of Precision Silver Nanoparticles for Protecting Indwelling Medical Devices From
Biofilm Formation,” took place at Portland State University campus on Wednesday,
July 27th. Gibbins, a recognized authority on silver’s antimicrobial properties,
drew on material from his upcoming article, “The Role of Antimicrobial Silver
NanoTechnology” which will be featured in the August issue of Medical Device
& Diagnostic Industry magazine.
SilvaGard is a new technology
developed by AcryMed based on years of work with silver antimicrobial
applications. AcryMed’s SilvaSorb® wound dressings and SilvaSorb gel are
recognized worldwide in the advanced wound care industry. The company was
founded in 1993 by Dr. Gibbins who obtained his Ph.D. in Bacteriology and Public
Health from Washington State University.
AcryMed (www.acrymed.com) is based in
Portland, Oregon where it maintains GMP manufacturing and GLP lab facilities.
The company is ISO certified and operates under ISO 13485 and EN
93/42/EEC.
Contact:
Brad Brenner
503-736-0610
e-mail protected
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/7/prweb266474.htm