Why Research at Clemson

Each year in the United States, more than 2.8 million drug-resistant infections lead to 35,000 deaths. Jordon Gilmore, an associate professor of bioengineering, is developing a sensor to detect bacterial infections in wounds before they become resistant to antibiotics. The main challenge is that bacteria form biofilms that protect themselves from antibiotic treatments through a process called quorum sensing. The sensor that Gilmore’s team envisions would measure electrical and chemical activity related to bacterial growth and quorum sensing, an approach that would help eliminate some of the subjectivity involved in current wound diagnosis practices. Introducing a quantitative measure would help doctors prescribe the correct antibiotics and dosage at the optimal time for treatment. Gilmore’s long-term goal is to make the sensor accessible to at-home caregivers without specialized medical training.