Invited Talk: The Biofilm Matrix As a Therapeutic Target

Biofilm-associated chronic infections are notoriously recalcitrant and exceedingly tolerant to antibiotic treatments. It is thought that the biofilm matrix, a hydrated layer or polysaccharides, proteins and nucleic acids that surrounds microbes in a biofilm, is a primary driver of chronicity and tolerance during infection. We hypothesized that by degrading these matrix components, we can expose the microbes inside the biofilm and increase antibiotic efficacy. Here I will discuss our pre-clinical evaluation of polysaccharide-degrading enzymes for wound infections, and what we have learned about the biofilm matrix of Pseudomonas aeruginosa during infection.