Bio-Urostent

New urinary catheter with a dual functionality: antibacterial and preservation of the natural microbiota.

The Bio-Urostent project is designing a solution for an uncovered clinical need that requires new technologies in the development of catheters that, on the one hand, have an interior coating to not only protect the device from bacterial colonization and the ensuing infection but also preserve the local microbiota at the same time. On the other hand, they have an exterior coating with a hydrogel base that protects the tissue of the duct, thereby preventing breaks, tears and inflammatory processes during the implementation and extraction process.

During the project, work will also be done on developing an optimization and scalability protocol for manufacturing of the prototype and on designing a regulatory strategy and biocompatibility testing.

The Bio-Urostent solution will avoid the use of antibiotics, thereby reducing the generation of bacterial resistance to the device. It will also help to preserve the natural microbiota of the body, thereby reducing the index of secondary infections of the urinary tract associated with the medical device.

The project relies on a consortium led by Products & Technology, and it includes the participation of Tractivus, l’Institut Químic de Sarrià (IQS) of the Universitat Ramon Llull  and Eurecat, which is participating on the project through the Technological Unit of Nutrition and Health and Omic Sciences. Eurecat leads the aspects related to validation of the prototype in pre-clinical models in order to determine the biocompatibility, activity and efficacy of the developed catheters, therefore using in vitro and in vivo models according to OECD and ISO guidelines.