This project is one of the 36 awarded by the 2017 call from the Fundació La Marató de TV3 focused on infectious diseases. 103 national and international experts in infectious diseases have participated in the peer-review evaluation of the 214 projects presented, which was managed by the "Agència de Qualitat i Avaluació Sanitàries de Catalunya, del Departament de Salut". The projects have been evaluated according to their excellence, methodology and relevance. 

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 The main goal of the FUNCATH project, in which researchers from the Parc Taulí Hospital, Hospital Clínic, IRTA and ICMAB-CSIC participate, is the developement of new vascular catheters, covered with multibiofunctional hydrogels with antimicrobial activity of broad spectrum. 

Hydrogels will have two missions: firstly, they will act as a 3D matrix, to support the active biomolecules, specifically the cationic peptides (PC), with bactericidal activity against most of the bacteria involved in nosocomial infections and, secondly, as protection against the degradation of the cationic peptides (PC), until the medical device is used. This latter will be possible thanks to the thermosensitive nature of the hydrogel, which will only expose the peptides after the activation, after being in contact with the body temperature. With heat, the degratation of the hydrogel will be activated, and this will allow the exposure of the active biomolecules.  

In total, 8.302.384 € were distributed among the 36 reseach projects, in this way:  http://www.ccma.cat/tv3/marato/projectes-financats/2017/1370/ 

Prevenció d’infeccions relacionades amb els catèters vasculars mitjançant la funcionalització de catèters impregnats d'hidrogels activables tèrmicament amb antimicrobians d’ampli espectre (FUNCATH).

• Dr. Oriol Gasch Blasi, Consorci Hospitalari del Parc Taulí
• Dra. Cristina Garcia de la Maria, Hospital Clínic i Provincial de Barcelona - Fundació Clínic per a la Recerca Biomèdica
• Dra. Imma Ratera Bastardas, Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona ICMAB-CSIC
• Dra. Elena Garcia Frutos, Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries - IRTA
• Finançament: 375.078,75 €

PODCAST: 36 projectes contra les malalties infeccioses finançats amb els 10 milions de La Marató 2017

More information:

• http://www.ccma.cat/tv3/marato/recerca/projectes-financats/ 
• http://www.ccma.cat/premsa/la-marato-impulsa-36-projectes-de-recerca-biomedica-en-malalties-infeccioses/nota-de-premsa/2884076/ 
• http://www.ccma.cat/324/els-prop-de-10-milions-recaptats-a-la-marato-financaran-55-equips-dinvestigacio/noticia/2884087/ 
• http://www.ccma.cat/catradio/alacarta/catalunya-vespre/36-projectes-contra-les-malalties-infeccioses-financats-amb-els-10-milions-de-la-marato-2017/audio/1018517/