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Webcast | Virtual

Event Title
FDA Grand Rounds – Anti-biofilm Technologies for Enhancing the Safety of Medical Device Surfaces
May 29, 2025

Date:
May 29, 2025
Time:
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. ET

Webcast Recording

Recording

Speaker 

Jayaleka J. Amarasinghe, Ph.D.

Jayaleka J. Amarasinghe, Ph.D. 
Microbiologist 
Winchester Engineering and Analytical Center (WEAC)
Office of Specialty Laboratories & Enforcement Support (OSLES)
Office of Chief Scientist (OCS)
Office of the Commissioner (OC)

About the Speaker

Dr. Jayaleka Amarasinghe is a microbiologist at the Winchester Engineering and Analytical Center (WEAC), within Office of Specialty Laboratories & Enforcement Support (OSLES), the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS), in Winchester, Massachusetts. Since joining the FDA in 2014, she has led pioneering research on characterization of biofilms associated with medical device surfaces, driving efforts to develop innovative, antimicrobial-free strategies aimed at enhancing medical device safety. Dr. Amarasinghe earned her undergraduate degree in Biology from Bay Path University in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and her Ph.D. in Oral Biology from the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Infectious Diseases at the New York State Department of Health. Her work has been crucial in advancing novel approaches to anti-biofilm technologies for medical devices.

About the Presentation

Biofilms are communities of microorganisms encased in extracellular polymeric substances that adhere to surfaces, such as medical devices, contributing to chronic infections. Their resistance to conventional antimicrobials makes biofilms particularly difficult to eradicate, highlighting the urgent need for novel approaches. This presentation explores two innovative technologies evaluated at WEAC/FDA to address biofilms on medical device surfaces: photothermal ablation using gold nanorod coatings and electrical stimulation aimed at disrupting biofilm formation.

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