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dc.rights.licenseAll rights reserved
dc.contributor.advisorGarriga Vidal, María
dc.contributor.advisorMóvil Cabrera, Omar A.
dc.contributor.authorCué Royo, Camila S.
dc.contributor.authorGonzález Arce, Leira K.
dc.date.accessioned2021-09-27T13:27:16Z
dc.date.available2021-09-27T13:27:16Z
dc.date.issued2021-09-17
dc.identifier.citationCué Royo, C. S. & González Arce, L. K.(2021). 3D Printing of Conductive Urinary Catheters and their Applications in Electro-Therapies to Overcome Antibiotic Resistance of Bacterial Biofilms [Research Poster]. Undergraduate Research Program For Honor Students HSI STEM Grant, Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12475/1161
dc.descriptionFinal Research Poster for the Undergraduate Research Program for Honor Students HSI STEM Grant.en_US
dc.description.abstractToday, antibiotic-resistant bacteria represent a global health challenge, especially for the control of catheter-associated urinal tract infections (CAUTI). Conventional antibacterial treatment for CAUTI requires a high dose of antibiotics that could cause side effects in the patients. For this reason, it is necessary to develop effective antibacterial therapies that require less amount of antibiotics. Recent studies indicate that some electro-therapies are promising alternatives to avoid the growth of bacterial films in some metallic implants. However, to apply this concept to address CAUTI, it is necessary to develop biocompatible materials and urinary catheters with the required mechanical and electrical properties. Therefore, the present work aims to explore the viability of integrating 3D printed conductive polymer catheters in electrotherapy to fight against CAUTI. For this purpose, catheters (small tubes) were 3D printed using a commercial (Protopasta®) and different conductive filaments fabricated at PUPR. Filaments were fabricated via extrusion using a solvent-free method and activated carbon as the filler. After growing E.coli biofilms on the surface of the 3D printed structures, these were integrated into an electro-therapy system to study their performance. Mechanical and electrical properties of the fabricated materials were also evaluated via tensile test and impedance spectroscopy. Preliminary qualitative results indicate that the proposed electro-therapy has the potential to eliminate biofilms of E.coli bacteria growth onto the conductive polymer materials (3D printed catheter models). The materials characterization experiments suggest that all the fabricated materials exhibit lower elastic module and tensile strength than the commercial material. Regarding the electrical properties, some of the fabricated filaments exhibit a higher electrical conductivities than the commercial material. This results is promising, since one of the highest limitations of Protopasta® is its limited electrical conductivity.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipThis research project was supported by the Title V STEM Grant “Bridges to STEM Success” P 0031 C 160141en_US
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherPolytechnic University of Puerto Ricoen_US
dc.relation.ispartofChemical Engineering Program
dc.relation.ispartofseriesUndergraduate Research Program For Honor Students HSI STEM Grant 2020-2021
dc.relation.haspartSan Juan
dc.subjectPolytechnic University of Puerto Rico--Undergraduates--Postersen_US
dc.subject.lcshThree-dimensional printing
dc.subject.lcshCatheter
dc.subject.lcshDrug resistance in microorganisms
dc.title3D Printing of Conductive Urinary Catheters and their Applications in Electro-Therapies to Overcome Antibiotic Resistance of Bacterial Biofilmsen_US
dc.typePosteren_US
dc.rights.holderPolytechnic University of Puerto Rico, Undergraduate Research Program for Honor Students HSI STEM Grant


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