The Eureka Moment

Sharks are one of the few slow-moving marine creatures on which algae and other microorganisms don’t thrive. Researchers believed that sharkskin’s chemical makeup kept organisms from growing on it. But Anthony Brennan, a professor in the University of Florida’s Materials Science and Engineering Department, thought something else might be behind the skin’s ability to thwart microbes.

The Research

Above, electron microscope image of sharkskin at 200 microns. Below, Sharklet’s ‘surface technology’ mimics the surface of sharkskin.

Using an impression taken from a live shark, Brennan found that the pattern of interlocking diamonds on the shark’s skin block bacteria and other growths. Brennan engineered a “surface technology” comprised of billions of tiny, raised microscopic diamond shapes that mimic the height, width, length and curvature of the sharkskin surface. His tests showed the sharkskin design surface is effective at inhibiting the growth of Staph a, E. coli and other bacteria. The patented surface, which Brennan calls Sharklet, can be applied as a plastic-like film or incorporated into a manufactured metal part.

The Application

Hospitals work to keep surfaces, instruments and devices free of germs, but organisms like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, better known as MRSA, have grown increasingly drug resistant. A “no-kill” technology that uses something other than antibiotics to inhibit potentially dangerous microbes would be invaluable.

The Company

Sharklet (right column) inhibits bacterial growth. By day 21 (bottom images), bacteria covers only 35% of the Sharklet surface vs. 77% of the smooth surface.

Joseph Bagan and four partners, including Brennan, licensed Brennan’s technology and created Sharklet Technologies in Alachua. The company hopes to produce a film that can be applied to touchable surfaces in healthcare facilities. It hopes to roll out the product in nine to 12 months. Bagan also hopes to use Sharklet on medical devices like catheters and other tubes, which can become infection sites. For these products, FDA approval will be required, so a launch will take place two to three years, says Mark Spiecker, Sharklet’s vice president.

Manufacturing

The sharkskin patterns are etched using a technique called deep ion lithography to produce a pattern about one-fiftieth the size of a human hair. Sharklet can inhibit microorganism formation for up to 21 days, but the company is researching how cleaning the surfaces might make it last indefinitely.

The Future

Bagan says he hopes to expand the company’s product line to include surfaces that encourage microorganisms such as proteins and stem cells. Brennan’s research before developing Sharklet identified some surfaces that showed promise in this area.