A team led by Prof. Beatriz Prieto-Simón at the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) has developed a new way to monitor bacterial biofilms as they grow, using simple, low-cost electrochemical tools. This breakthrough could open the door to real-time tracking of how treatments or antibiotics affect biofilms, which are notorious for their resistance to medical interventions.
Biofilms are clusters of bacteria that stick to surfaces and become wrapped in a self-produced protective layer. While they are common in nature, biofilms are also linked to serious health problems. They can form in chronic wounds, where they block healing, or attach to medical devices, increasing the risk of infection and device failure. More worryingly, biofilms can withstand antimicrobial treatments up to a thousand times more effectively than free-floating bacteria, contributing to the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance. Detecting and monitoring them early is therefore essential for preventing long-lasting infections.
Inside the experiment
The ICIQ team created carbonised mesoporous silicon (C-pSi) substrates that serve two purposes: as a surface for biofilms to grow and as electrodes capable of detecting their development through electrochemical signals. By applying techniques such as cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, the researchers were able to capture distinctive electrochemical patterns linked to biofilm growth. Crucially, these measurements can be made with affordable, portable devices, raising the possibility of point-of-need applications in healthcare.
“Biofilms are difficult to eradicate once they are established, which is why detecting them early and monitoring their evolution is key,” said Professor Prieto-Simón. “Our work shows that simple electrochemical tools can be combined with advanced nanomaterials to follow biofilm development in real time, potentially paving the way for new strategies to assess the effectiveness of treatments.”
Reference publication
Carbonised porous silicon as scaffold and sensor for the electrochemical detection and characterisation of bacterial biofilm growth
O’Connor, F.; Lazanas, A.; Prieto-Simón, B.
J. Mater. Chem. B 2025
DOI: 10.1039/D5TB01036E
La entrada New electrochemical method tracks biofilms in real time se publicó primero en ICIQ.