720077Antimicrobial coatings to prevent urinary tract infectionClosedGRD Development of PrototypeInnovate UKThis proposal describes an 18 month project to develop a pre-production prototype and carry out initial human trials of an anti-infective indwelling urethral catheter. CamStent is a Cambridge-based medtech microbusiness founded in 2006, that develops coatings to resist attachment of microorganisms. Funding will enable us to complete preclinical testing of our unique antimicrobial catheter coating and undertake a preliminary human trial to prove the product’s clinical and cost benefits. Catheter-acquired Urinary Tract Infections currently account for 38% of all hospital-acquired infections in the UK, with direct costs to the NHS estimated at over £500 million each year. A successful outcome of this project would lead to significant patient benefit and institutional savings within 2 years. CamStent’s indwelling urethral catheter coating is based on prior development work completed during the past two years, in partnership with leading experts in chemistry and microbiology at the Universities of Sheffield and Brighton. We created a proprietary nonpharmacologic coating that adheres to catheter materials and prevents colonisation by the toxic micro-organisms responsible for hospital-acquired infections. The durability and efficacy of the antimicrobial coating has been demonstrated with the aid of a Research Grant from the East of England Development Agency: matching funding from business angels has been raised and we are ready to undertake final development of a marketed product. The worldwide market for indwelling catheters is over 100 million units per year, and CamStent’s product would command a price premium of at least £5 per unit in a market for anti-microbial catheters which is growing at least 13% per year.