Advanced anti-biofilm technologies for biomedical devices: Integrating nanomaterials, AI, and stimuli-responsive therapeutics

Abstract

The control of biofilm-related infection on biomedical devices continues to pose a significant clinical challenge due to microorganism biofilm structural resilience and its tolerance to antimicrobials. Surrounded by an extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) and strengthened by quorum-sensing and a population of persister cells, biofilms are often not subsided by traditional antibiotic treatments causing device failure, recurring infections, and inflated healthcare expenses. This review identifies the combination of nanomaterials, artificial intelligence (AI) and stimuli-responsive therapeutics as a triumvirate that can drive the next generation of anti-biofilm treatment approaches. Nanomaterials have physicochemical qualities that are distinct, such as high surface-area-to-volume ratio, tunable chemistry and nanoscale penetration, which allow one to target delivery and disrupt of antimicrobials. AI can speed up materials discovery, optimize biofilm therapeutic design and enable real-time biofilm monitoring through predictive modeling and automated imaging analytics. The precision-controlled release of the drug or physical destabilization of biofilms can be realized via stimulus-responsive platforms that involve internal or external triggers (pH, enzymes, metabolites) or external cues (light, magnetic fields, temperature). We shall look critically into problems of translation such as biocompatibility, complexity of regulatory environment, scale of manufacturing systems, and absence of approach and structure to standardized clinical evaluation. Lastly, we suggest some areas of future research with the priority of finding a solution to the development of biodegradable and non-toxic nanomaterials, the extent of trigger specificity, AI-based in vivo prediction, and bi-directional design. These technologies in combination can transform the anti-biofilm therapeutic field into a predictive, personalized, and proactive field, and eventually lead to better patient outcomes, and alleviate the global burden of medically related infections.