# Laser-Activated Nanoglues for the prevention and control of surgical site infections

> **NIH NIH R21** · ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY-TEMPE CAMPUS · 2020 · $187,326

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Up to 90 million surgical incisions are performed every year within the United States and despite improvements
in surgical techniques, administration of antimicrobial prophylaxis, and surveillance protocols, surgical site
infections (SSIs) remain a major clinical challenge. SSIs occur in 2-5% of patients undergoing surgery in the
United States alone, impact 300,000-500,000 lives each year, and are associated with a 2-11 times greater risk
of death compared to patients without SSIs. SSIs pose particularly serious challenges to patients with diabetes
and to those with compromised immune systems. The most common cause of SSI is Staphylococcus aureus
which occurs in 20% of SSIs among hospitals that report to the CDC and 37% among the community hospitals;
methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is the most common pathogen in community hospitals. Current clinical
practices to treat incisions and traumatic lacerations include sutures, adhesives, tape, or staples with or without
antimicrobial incorporation. However, these technologies are susceptible to infection, wound dehiscence, and
poor or delayed biomechanical recoveries. Thus, there exists an urgent need to prevent and combat SSIs
efficiently in order to decrease patient mortality, time, and costs associated with recovery. Here, we propose the
development of novel laser-activated nanoglues (LANGs) for simultaneously sealing incisions together with the
ability to combat short-term and longer term or repeat SSIs. Laser sealing of incisions using LANGs will result in
a leak-proof seal throughout the incision, thereby preventing the infiltration of microorganisms into the wound.
Silver nanoprisms (AgNPs) in the LANGs absorb near infrared (NIR) light for rapid tissue sealing and can also
serve as sources of silver for antibacterial activity. Previous work in our laboratory has indicated that gold
nanorod-silk LANGs can be effectively used to seal incisions in mice and resist bacterial infiltration. The efficacy
for skin sealing and MRSA infection control of LANG formulations will be evaluated in immunocompetent,
immunodeficient, as well as diabetic and obese mice. LANGs will also be investigated as depots for longer-term
delivery of encapsulated antibiotics like vancomycin, which will serve to better resist longer-term and repeat
infections in susceptible hosts. Taken together, LANGs have tremendous translational potential as a multi-
faceted approach for effective tissue sealing and SSI control in surgery, and will see particular applicability in
immunodeficient and diabetic patients.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9986354
- **Project number:** 1R21AI147279-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY-TEMPE CAMPUS
- **Principal Investigator:** Kaushal Rege
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $187,326
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-01 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9986354

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9986354, Laser-Activated Nanoglues for the prevention and control of surgical site infections (1R21AI147279-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9986354. Licensed CC0.

---

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