iFyber announced today the award of a contract to expand its prior R&D of the antimicrobial properties of functionalized copper coatings. The team will optimize production parameters of copper-textile composites and test the dressings against a wide variety of pathogenic bacteria known to infect wounds.

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iFyber, a contract research and development organization specializing in chemistry, biology, and materials science, announced the award of a US Department of Defense contract to develop an antimicrobial copper coating that can be applied to a range of medical fabrics used in the production of wound dressings. This contract will enable iFyber to expand upon its prior research and development of the antimicrobial properties of functionalized copper coatings.

“We are proud to continue our development of copper coatings for the wound care market,” said by iFyber VP of R&D Aaron Strickland, PhD. “Our goal is to advance the understanding of copper as an antimicrobial and implement practical considerations for the production-scale expectations of the textile industry, who in turn supports the wound care dressings market.”

Copper has been shown to effectively inhibit growth of bacteria on surfaces and has been used in hospital and food service settings as an effective way to reduce the risk of infection. In past work shown by Dr. Strickland, copper can be chemically bound to the cellulose in cotton and reduce growth of multidrug resistant bacterial wound pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii by 8 logs (100 million fold). In its current contract with the Department of Defense, the iFyber team will optimize production parameters of the copper-textile composite and test the dressings against a wide variety of pathogenic bacteria known to infect wounds.