Towards Biofilm Eradication in the Context of Medical Applications: From Tailored Surface Engineering and Sustainable Biomaterials to Underlying Microbial Genetic

Dear Colleagues,

The microbial world is extremely complex and still not understood in many ways. The unique lifestyle of microbial cells in biofilms is part of that still poorly studied world, with many of the molecular mechanisms governing this intricate interaction involving cells and colonised surfaces remaining elusive. Due to their deleterious effects, the control and, when possible, eradication of biofilms are goals completed by not only approaches that prevent cells from triggering this phenotype but also approaches that engineer surfaces and sustainable materials to reduce (or even prevent) microbial colonisation.

This Special Issue is focused on these approaches, covering the development and design of "anti-biofilm” biomaterials/biosurfaces but also the underlying genetic/genomic mechanisms that underlie the formation and maturation of biofilms. We would like to emphasize strategies that may reduce, or even prevent, biofilm formation in the medical area. Suitable topics in this Special Issue include methods to create and characterise engineered materials and surfaces as well as the investigation of genetic bases of microbial biofilms involved in chronic and recurrent infections.

We welcome research papers, short communications, and reviews involving multidisciplinary dynamic fields of biotechnology, microbiology, chemistry, and pharmacology working for the same goal: to render biofilm-related infections that are easier to treat, control, and prevent.

Prof. Dr. Debora Barros Barbosa
Prof. Dr. Nuno Pereira Mira
Dr. Sónia Silva
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Antibiotics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.