# A novel therapeutic for the treatment of biofilms in periprosthetic joint infections

> **NIH NIH R41** · QENTOROS, LLC · 2024 · $300,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Total joint arthroplasty (TJA) procedures are estimated to rise by over 300% by the year 2030. Periprosthetic
joint infection (PJI) is the most significant complication following TJA with healthcare costs exceeding $1.6 billion
annually. Treatment of PJI generally requires surgical intervention combined with a prolonged course of
antibiotics costing $50,000 per patient. Despite this aggressive treatment, treatment is only successful in half of
patients. The leading cause of treatment failure in PJI is the formation of protective bacterial biofilms or
communities of bacteria encased within an extracellular matrix which are tolerant to commercially available
antibiotics. We have discovered that platelet-rich plasma (PRP) displays both antibacterial and antibiofilm
properties. Nevertheless, there is tremendous variability in the literature on the clinical efficacy of PRP. To
overcome this variability, we have developed a PRP-derived biologic that is specifically formulated with high
antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity with little to no lot-to-lot variability, termed BIO-PLY™. In an equine
model of native joint infection, BIO-PLY™ not only decreased intraarticular bacterial load but also dampened
inflammation and protected venerable cartilage from damage. In this proposal, we will capitalize on the equine
model of native joint infection to manufacture a human equivalent and evaluate the safety and efficacy of human
BIO-PLY™ using established in vitro and in vivo models of PJI. The goal of this proposal is to generate the key
data necessary for a go/no-go decision to advance BIO-PLY™ toward a Phase II pre-clinical animal model and
an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the Federal Drug Administration.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10923988
- **Project number:** 5R41AI179543-02
- **Recipient organization:** QENTOROS, LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** Jessica Gilbertie
- **Activity code:** R41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $300,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-07 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10923988

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10923988, A novel therapeutic for the treatment of biofilms in periprosthetic joint infections (5R41AI179543-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10923988. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*