A technology feature article in the latest issue of Nature mentioned University of Utah spin-off company Curza Global. Professor Ryan Looper is the Director of Chemistry for the company.
“Curza, founded last year in Salt Lake City, Utah, is developing coatings that prevent biofilms from forming on hip and knee implants. Its research involves chemical synthesis, molecular genetics, mass spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy, as well as a proprietary flow cell assay that better represents physiological conditions by using liquid flow rather than stagnant broth assays. The company says that the assay can help to characterize whether a biofilm is prevented under real-life-like conditions and show what might happen as an antimicrobial compound dilutes away from a medical device’s coating, for example.”
Read the full Nature article on bacterial communication and research applications.
Nature 511, 493-497 (24 July 2014)