SIMBA innovation in the fight against superbacteria
Blaž Jug/UL BF
Date of publication:
Innovation offers faster and cheaper solution in finding new active substances in the fight against superbacteria
The growing phenomenon of superbacteria, as we call bacteria that are resistant to multiple antibiotics, is a global health problem. The problem is exacerbated by the merging of bacteria in biofilms, which offers them protection and survival in very harsh conditions and facilitates the transmission of resistance. For this very reason the global development of new antibiotics is focused on their effects on other properties of the bacteria, such as attaching bacteria to the surface, movement or interaction between bacteria, and not just on survival. The new orientation of development urgently requires a new methodology.
The researchers, Assoc. Prof. Dr Anja Klančnik and Assist. Dr Meta Sterniša, of the Chair of Biotechnology, Microbiology and Food Safety in the Department of Food Science and Technology of the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana, and Dr Jerica Sabotič of the Biotechnology Department of the Jožef Stefan Institute, make up an innovative and dedicated team that has developed the innovative SIMBA method. This is a method of simultaneous detection of antimicrobial and anti-biofilm effects against bacteria, and represents an enhancement of the current methods of detection, since it enables the simultaneous and rapid detection of the antimicrobial and anti-biofilm effects of a large number of studied active substances. The innovation reduces the time of testing active substances by 4 to 5 days and lowers the price of analysis fourfold.
Assoc. Prof. Dr Anja Klančnik of the Chair of Biotechnology, Microbiology and Food Safety in the Department of Food Science and Technology of the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana states: “The innovativeness and novelty of the SIMBA innovation was confirmed, and in October 2022 an international patent application was published, then in November 2022 we received funds from the University of Ljubljana 2022 Innovation Fund for development of the prototype application SIMBApp and for validation and further technological development of the method prior to entering the market.”
Source: International Patent Application PCT/EP2022/058548, 2022-03-31. WO2022/207781, 6 October 2022 [Geneva]: World Intellectual Property Organization, 2022 (link)
Sterniša M., Sabotič J., Klančnik A. 2022. A novel approach using growth curve analysis to distinguish between antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activities against Salmonella. International Journal of Food Microbiology. 364: 1-11, doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2021.109520.
For more information see the news section of the Biotechnical Faculty website on the link
The photograph shows the innovators Assoc. Prof. Dr Anja Klančnik and Assist. Dr Meta Sterniša, of the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana, and Dr Jerica Sabotič of the Jožef Stefan Institute (left to right).