ESR 14 – In vitro Bio-evaluation of Antibacterial Polymers
Ayesha Idrees – Politecnico di Torino and Universitätsklinikum Knappschaftskrankenhaus Bochum GmbH
The Project: the research focuses on the bio-analyses of antimicrobial biomaterials synthesised in HyMedPoly by carrying out biocompatibility analysis through established and novel methodologies. Polymer films and scaffolds with different topography and porosity will be manufactured to show the effect of material surface morphology on bacterial growth and biofilm formation.
The Researcher: Ayesha Idrees from Lahore, Pakistan, graduated in Microbiology and Master’s in Virology & Immunology from National University of Science & Technology (NUST) Islamabad, Pakistan in 2013. Her Master’s research was mainly focused on the effect of a drug to unveil the underlying molecular and biochemical mechanisms to elucidate the new strategies for the treatment of neuro-toxicity and inflammation.
Her interest in this area evoked during her work in a hospital (SKMCH&RC) in 2011, where the healing problems of serious infections were because of rapidly emerging antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. Later, her research in Interdisciplinary Research Centre (IRCBM) linked these challenging questions with biomedical materials.
Other than academics and research, she enjoys doing art work and visiting new places.