Stevens Institute of Technology to host conference on bacteria-material interactions

On June 9-10, Stevens Institute of Technology will host the Stevens Conference on Bacteria-Material Interactions, an event that covers the latest multi-disciplinary research in the area of infection-resistant biomaterials. Featuring a dinner keynote from Dr. J. William Costerton, a leading developer of the biofilm paradigm, the conference will confront important issues and questions at the interfaces between biomaterials science, microbiology, cell biology, and biodetection. The event will be held in the Babbio Center on Stevens Hoboken, NJ campus just minutes from midtown Manhattan, with an evening reception at the W Hotel in Hoboken.

"Our aging population is driving the need for rapid innovation in the study of biocompatible materials that are making orthopedic implants safer and more reliable for both patients and surgeons," says Dr. Michael Bruno, Dean of the Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. School of Engineering and Science. "This conference addresses the cutting edge of research with many potential applications for science and medicine."

The Stevens Conference on Bacteria-Material Interactions complements the University's support of collaborative, on-site research into the areas of infection-resisting biomaterials. Invited speakers, rapid-fire paper presentations, a panel discussion, and multiple poster sessions will provide both broad and targeted views into research, development, and bench and clinical practice. Topics covered will include clinical needs, biofilms and antimicrobial resistance, new approaches to evaluate biomaterials efficacy, surfaces to control bacterial colonization, materials that reduce infection and promote healing, bacteria detection, and computational microbiology.

Attending the conference will be researchers from academia, government, and independent laboratories from across the United States as well as the Netherlands, Mexico, Switzerland, and Ireland. Government scientists will include employees of the FDA, NIH, and NIST. The program chair and conference contact is Dr. Matthew Libera, Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at Stevens, who is working with an interdisciplinary team of Stevens colleagues on infection-resisting biomaterials research.

Researchers at Stevens are at the forefront of technological advance in the field of biomaterials-associated infection, tissue engineering, computational biology, and next-generation antimicrobial materials and surfaces that incorporate nanotechnology and new production methods, such as inkjet-printed pharmaceuticals. These various research efforts are supported by the Coulter Foundation, the National Institute of Health, the Arbeitsgemeinschaft f-r Osteosynthesefragen, and multiple National Science Foundation grants. Stevens also partners will other organizations in the State of New Jersey, such as the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and the Public Health Research Institute.