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LL-37 2026-06-17 EuropePMC

Multimodal-energy piezoelectric platforms emerge as intelligent, non-antibiotic strategy to combat antimicrobial resistance and biofilms

Intelligent multimodal-energy-driven piezoelectric antibacterial platforms: From structural control to system-level diagnosis

Background

The global public health crisis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is escalating, projected to cause 10 million deaths annually by 2050. A major contributor is biofilm-associated infections, present in over 80% of bacterial cases, where biofilms enhance bacterial tolerance to antibiotics by 10 to 1000 times. This leads to refractory issues like chronic wound infections and medical device-associated infections. Current clinical strategies are hampered by a depleted antibiotic pipeline, rising resistance, and poor biofilm penetration. Traditional antimicrobial materials also suffer from short activity, local toxicity, and lack of intelligent responsiveness, failing to meet precision medicine demands.

Why It Matters

This conceptual framework for intelligent multimodal-energy piezoelectric platforms represents a significant paradigm shift from conventional antibiotic-dependent strategies. It offers a promising non-antibiotic alternative for tackling drug-resistant bacterial infections and biofilms, which are notoriously difficult to treat with current methods. The emphasis on "intelligent responsiveness" and "system-level diagnosis" suggests future platforms could provide precision medicine solutions, adapting to specific infection environments and offering real-time monitoring. This could revolutionize the management of chronic wounds and medical device-associated infections by overcoming the limitations of antibiotic resistance and poor biofilm penetration, paving the way for more effective and sustainable antibacterial therapies that align with the demands of the precision medicine era.


antimicrobial-resistance biofilms piezoelectric-technology antibacterial drug-resistance medical-devices
Source: europepmc:epmc_PMC13253188 · Ingested 2026-06-17 · Digest: gemini-2.5-flash