Application informs about a new method for treating bacterial and fungal populations

The method will be presented next week at the WATEC conference dealing with water technologies, technologies for creating renewable energy and environmental control

November 11, 2009 - Application, the research development company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, will present a new method to prevent the formation of bacterial and fungal populations at the WATEC conference to be held in Tel Aviv on November 17-19, 2009. The invention, developed by Professor Doron Steinberg from the Faculty of Dentistry and Professor Morris Sarbnik from the School of Pharmacy, both from the Hebrew University, in collaboration with Professor Yitzhak Polchek from the Hadassah Medical Center, utilizes new chemical compounds that impair communication between bacteria, thereby preventing the formation of a bacterial plaque known as a biofilm. Unlike antibiotics that often cause the emergence of resistant strains, the new compounds do not kill the bacteria or fungi that form the biofilm, and therefore will not cause the formation of resistant strains. The new compounds will be used as a coating for pipes, filters, membranes, air conditioning ducts and other surfaces that come into contact with water and tend to become contaminated with biofilm. The coating is environmentally friendly and effective against both bacteria and fungi.

"This is just one of the many groundbreaking discoveries in water technology that were developed at the Hebrew University and which will be presented by Yissou at the WATEC conference," said Yaakov Michlin, CEO of Sisou. "Just a few weeks ago, a study published by researchers from the University of Colorado in the US showed that shower heads may be dangerous to our health due to biofilm contamination, that is, accumulations of bacteria or fungi. This invention is exactly the solution to problems of this type and many other problems that affect the daily lives of all of us."

The annual cost of problems related to biofilm formation is billions of dollars due to rust formation in piping, impairment of heat conduction or hydraulic pressure in industrial cooling systems, and blockage of water injection systems as well as water filters and pipes. The new invention can be used to treat industrial water and prevent the formation of biofilm on filters, paint, irrigation pipes and swimming pools. It will also lower costs in water desalination and water recycling processes by reducing energy consumption caused by rusty or clogged pipes.

About application
Application, the research development company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Ltd., is exclusively responsible for the commercialization of the technologies and patents originating from the Hebrew University. The company, established in 1964, is now considered one of the world's leaders in its field. Prassin has registered approximately 6,100 patents for over 1,750 inventions in all fields of technology and biotechnology. About a third of the patents have been commercialized, and products based on them are sold for over a billion dollars a year. For the implementation of about 65 portfolio companies based on the inventions of university researchers, and commercial partners from the world's leading, among them: Novartis, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Teva, Intel, IBM, Philips, Sigenta, Valmorin, Monsanto and many others .