Surfsafe

We're thrilled to share the exciting news that Francisca Sousa Cardoso, a member of the SurfSAFE team at U. Porto, has been awarded an individual PhD Research Studentship in the latest national FCT call! 👏

👩‍🔬 Francisca's doctoral research will center on the development of graphene composites to combat biofilm formation and encrustation in ureteral stents, in collaboration with Laboratório Associado LSRE-LCM.

Congratulations, Francisca! Wishing you abundant success on this remarkable journey! 😊🎉

🚢🔎 Learn more about the longer-term effects of hydrogen peroxide disinfection on marine biofilms! ⬇

https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/12/9/1450

Effect of Hydrogen Peroxide on Cyanobacterial Biofilms Although a range of disinfecting formulations is commercially available, hydrogen peroxide is one of the safest chemical agents used for disinfection in aquatic environments. However, its effect on cyanobacterial biofilms is poorly investigated. In this work, biofilm formation by two filamentous cya...

🧐 Check out our work in which nitrogen-functionalized graphene nanoplatelets (N-GNP)/PDMS composites were produced, characterized, and analyzed regarding their ability to inhibit single- and multi-species biofilms formed by three common colonizers of urinary catheters! 🏥

👉 The antimicrobial mechanisms of action of N-GNP were also explored! ⚕

https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/13/18/2604

Exploring Nitrogen-Functionalized Graphene Composites for Urinary Catheter Applications Graphene has been broadly studied, particularly for the fabrication of biomedical devices, owing to its physicochemical and antimicrobial properties. In this study, the antibiofilm efficacy of graphene nanoplatelet (GNP)-based composites as coatings for urinary catheters (UCs) was investigated. GNPs...

📰 The SurfSAFE’s article “Antifouling Surfaces To Reduce Biofouling In The Food Industry” was published in the industrial magazine Food Engineering on the topic of Cleaning & Sanitation: Food Safety! 🥗 🍲

🧐 Check out 👇
https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/101705-antifouling-surfaces-to-reduce-biofouling-in-the-food-industry

Antifouling Surfaces To Reduce Biofouling In The Food Industry SurfSAFE aims to develop polymeric surfaces that prevent adhesion due to an unfavorable topography or chemistry.

📅 On the 24th of November, Professor Luciana Gomes and Professor Filipe Mergulhão participated in the Brokerage Event “Surfaces Engineering to Mitigate Microbial Contamination in the Food Industry” held at CECOLAB Association – Collaborative Laboratory Towards Circular Economy.

📌 Approximately 15 people attended this event, with representation from the food industry companies Queijaria Ferreira da Estrela, Fumeiro de Seia, and Queijaria Flor da Beira.

👩‍🏫 The event kicked off with a presentation by Professor Luciana Gomes, and it was succeeded by a round table discussion moderated by the president of CECOLAB. The panel comprised Professor Filipe Mergulhão and representatives from the invited companies in the food industry.

Thank you to all the participants and FEUP INOV Unit - Europe for its contribution to organizing this event! 👏

👉 Check out our work that assessed how thermal disinfection procedures affect pre-established biofilms! 🌡

➡ Biofilm structure was compared at the micro and mesoscale, and the results showed that the impact of thermal disinfection depends on the hydrodynamic conditions, which are also critical to the biofilm structural rearrangement upon regrowth. 💡

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214714423001125

Proof-of-concept approach to assess the impact of thermal disinfection on biofilm structure in hot water networks Temperature-based strategies are commonly applied to control microbial growth, but the impact of those procedures on biofilm structure is usually not …

Happy World Science Day! 🌍😊🎉

👉 Check out our work that provides the characterization of graphene oxide/PDMS composites and the assessment of their performance on the inhibition of biofilm development by common colonizers of Urinary Catheters associated with Urinary Tract Infections! 🏥 ⚕

🧐 The antimicrobial mechanisms of action of graphene oxide were also analyzed. ✅

https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6412/13/8/1324

Production and Characterization of Graphene Oxide Surfaces against Uropathogens Graphene and its functionalized derivatives have been increasingly applied in the biomedical field, particularly in the production of antimicrobial and anti-adhesive surfaces. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of graphene oxide (GO)/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composites against Staphyloc...

🧐 Do you want to learn more about antifouling strategies for marine applications? ⚓🛳

👉 Check out our review that collects evidence on the development and concerns of marine biofouling and introduces a brief overview of the current marine antifouling strategies used! 😉

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/6/1568

📰 The advancement and the impact of different marine coatings are also addressed, focusing on the importance, advantages, and limitations of in vitro and in situ studies. 👩‍🔬🌊

Development of Antifouling Strategies for Marine Applications Marine biofouling is an undeniable challenge for aquatic systems since it is responsible for several environmental and ecological problems and economic losses. Several strategies have been developed to mitigate fouling-related issues in marine environments, including developing marine coatings using...

🔊 Open Call, join our team! 😊

📌 Applications for a research grant to develop and test surface materials with antibiofilm properties! 👨‍🔬🔬💊👩‍💻

🎓 Scientific Area: Bioengineering, Biological Engineering, Chemical Engineering and related areas ✔
🌍 Work Place: FEUP 🏢
📅 Deadline for application: 10th to 30th November 2023 ⏳

👉 Check the link below in case you are interested:
https://sigarra.up.pt/feup/pt/noticias_geral.ver_noticia?p_nr=156731

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👉 Check out our review that focuses on using probiotics as a possible solution to displace pathogenic biofilms on food contact surfaces! 😉

📰 In this work, the most recent and relevant studies on the performance of probiotics and their derivatives in controlling foodborne biofilms are highlighted. ✔

https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/12/4/754

Use of Probiotics to Control Biofilm Formation in Food Industries Microorganisms tend to adhere to food contact surfaces and form biofilms, which serve as reservoirs for bacteria that can contaminate food. As part of a biofilm, bacteria are protected from the stressful conditions found during food processing and become tolerant to antimicrobials, including traditi...