- Date:
- May 29, 2025
- Time:
- 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. ET
Speaker
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.
Learning Objectives
- Define the mechanisms of biofilm formation.
- Identify emerging antibiofilm technologies.
- Discuss how electrical stimulation is used to eradicate biofilms formed by nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) on medical device surfaces.
- Discuss how laser-activated gold nanorod-coated titanium surfaces enable photothermal reduction of S. aureus biofilms.
To Register
After MS Teams Webinar registration, you will receive a link via email to access the live webinar. You must log in with the username and password created when you registered. Please pre-register at least two days before the event to ensure you receive the access link and outlook invitation for the session.
For technical assistance please contact: Rakesh.Raghuwanshi@fda.hhs.gov.
