Award Abstract # 1936926
Planning Grant: Engineering Research Center for Innovative Materials and Processes for Antimicrobial Control Technologies (IMPACT)

NSF Org: EEC
Division of Engineering Education and Centers
Recipient: SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
Initial Amendment Date: August 22, 2019
Latest Amendment Date: April 13, 2022
Award Number: 1936926
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Sandra Cruz-Pol
scruzpol@nsf.gov
 (703)292-2928
EEC
 Division of Engineering Education and Centers
ENG
 Directorate for Engineering
Start Date: September 1, 2019
End Date: August 31, 2023 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $100,000.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $100,000.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2019 = $100,000.00
History of Investigator:
  • Dacheng Ren (Principal Investigator)
    dren@syr.edu
  • Matthew Libera (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Karin Sauer (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • James Henderson (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Shikha Nangia (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: Syracuse University
900 S CROUSE AVE
SYRACUSE
NY  US  13244
(315)443-2807
Sponsor Congressional District: 22
Primary Place of Performance: Syracuse University
329 Link Hall, Syracuse Universi
Syracuse
NY  US  13244-1200
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
22
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): C4BXLBC11LC6
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): ERC-Eng Research Centers
Primary Program Source: 01001920DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 112E, 124E
Program Element Code(s): 148000
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.041

ABSTRACT

Proposal Number: 1936926

Planning Grant: Engineering Research Center for Innovative Materials and Processes for Antimicrobial Control Technologies (IMPACT)

Abstract:
Part 1: Planning activities are being pursued by this cross-institutional team to develop the Engineering Research Center for Innovative Materials and Processes for Antimicrobial Control Technologies (ERC-IMPACT). The mission of IMPACT is to advance antimicrobial control technologies through innovations in science, engineering, and education. It is motivated by the rapid increase in antimicrobial resistant infections, which have become a major challenge to human health. It is predicted that superbug infections will cause more deaths than all cancers combined by 2050 if no effective controls are found. Microbes can survive the attack of antimicrobials either through genetic elements (i.e. superbugs) or by forming surface-attached biofilms. Addressing the grand challenge of antimicrobial-resistant infection requires major collaborative efforts of convergent research to understand the mechanism of antimicrobial resistance, engineer more effective biomaterials and medical devices, and develop better regulatory guidelines to ensure the safety of medical implants. This multidisciplinary team will take the ERC planning opportunity to engage stakeholders and prioritize the activities in research, education, industrial collaboration, and outreach to build a solid foundation for a competitive ERC application. The planning grant will enable team-building and structuring of IMPACT that will subsequently lead to transformative broader impacts on healthcare and biosecurity through innovation in microbial control technologies and processes; development of cross-disciplinary expertise and workforce; building academia-industry partnerships with a culture that encourages diversity and inclusion; strategic engagement with national and global partners; and a sustainable innovation ecosystem that can attract funding and resources for a successful future.

Part 2: The Engineering Research Center for Innovative Materials and Processes for Antimicrobial Control Technologies (ERC-IMPACT) will lead breakthroughs in science and technology to address the grand challenge of antimicrobial resistant infections. Such infections come both from mechanisms of natural selection and from biofilm formation. In particular, the design of medical devices and biomaterials has to this point focused almost exclusively on the main function of the device itself and safety to the host, i.e., healing. The competing microbial factors from both pathogens and the host microbiome are largely unexplored. Thus, the material properties that not only promote healing but also resist infection over time are not well understood. Similarly, there is a lack of effective biofilm control strategies. Currently available antimicrobials were discovered using drug screening platforms that only target the growth of planktonic (free-swimming) microbial cells. With the conventional antimicrobials being ineffective, new treatment methods are urgently needed, particularly in the context of tissue-contacting biomaterials/devices that are so critical to human health. ERC-IMPACT will bridge knowledge gaps and provide solutions based on rational design to address the grand challenge of antimicrobial resistance and its role in device-associated infections. ERC-IMPACT will: (1) forge convergent research to understand and control the complex interactions between different microbial species, host cells, and implanted biomaterials; (2) engineer new materials and devices to actively sense and respond to microbial infections; and (3) develop new control methods that do not require conventional antimicrobials or minimize the use through synergistic activities. To accelerate the evolution of the envisioned ERC, the team will engage with stakeholders in academia (university partners including minority-serving institutions), industry (small and large-scale companies, start-ups, research and development facilities), technology translation (patents, manufacturing, scalability, entrepreneurship), education (graduate, undergraduate, local schools, online learning), professionals (postdocs, veterans), and the broader community. The planning team will develop a strategic partnership that encompasses the four components central to the ERC program model - fundamental research, workforce development; diversity and inclusion; and innovation. The state-of-the-art ERC IMPACT center will build long-term engagement plans for stakeholders to fulfill its mission of innovation and to serve the community for better human health and a prosperous future.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

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Lee, Sang Won and Phillips, K. Scott and Gu, Huan and Kazemzadeh-Narbat, Mehdi and Ren, Dacheng "How microbes read the map: Effects of implant topography on bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation" Biomaterials , v.268 , 2021 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2020.120595 Citation Details
Xu, Yikang and Dhaouadi, Yousr and Stoodley, Paul and Ren, Dacheng "Sensing the unreachable: challenges and opportunities in biofilm detection" Current Opinion in Biotechnology , v.64 , 2020 10.1016/j.copbio.2019.10.009 Citation Details

PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT

Disclaimer

This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.

This planning grant provides important support for this cross-institutional team to pursue the Engineering Research Center for Innovative Materials and Processes for Antimicrobial Control Technologies (ERC-IMPACT). The vision of IMPACT is to advance engineering, physical/life sciences, and social/policy research in a way that aligns, leverages, and amplifies the disparate efforts of multiple stakeholder groups with the overarching goal of pushing the rate of device-associated infection to zero over the coming decade and beyond. Microbes survive the attack of antimicrobials through genetic elements (i.e. drug resistant genes) and/or by forming surface attached biofilms, which are commonly found on infected medical devices. Addressing this unmet challenge requires major collaborative efforts on convergent research to understand the mechanism of antimicrobial resistance, discover new intervention points, engineer infection resisting biomaterials and medical devices, and develop guidelines for better prevention, detection and treatment of medical device associated infections. It also requires integrated efforts to engage stakeholders and build a strong and diverse workforce, develop a culture of inclusion, and build a strong innovation ecosystem. Over the past years, this planning effort led to the formation of a strong team with four core participating institutions (Stevens Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, Binghamton University, and City College of New York), among many other participating stakeholders to pursue these goals. As part of the planning effort, the team also developed a new cross-institutional course focused on device associated infections. This course has been offered twice through an online platform, open to students from four core partner institutions. These planning efforts not only allowed the team to pursue an ERC proposal, but also to develop strong collaborations among the members and stakeholders towards a solution to medical device associated infections.

 


Last Modified: 10/19/2023
Modified by: Dacheng Ren

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