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Updated: May 21, 2026

Biomimetic Materials to Characterize Bacteria-host Interactions
Published on: November 16, 2015
Breaking the bond: recent patents on bacterial adhesins
Eneas Carvalho1, Ana Tung Ching Ching, Patricia Antonia Estima Abreu
1Centro de Biotecnologia, Instituto Butantan, Brazil. eneas@butantan.gov.br
Abstract:
Adhesins need to be exposed on the surface of pathogenic bacteria to properly interact with host tissues and allow establishment of the infection. This fact implies that, in theory, one could manage or avoid infection by controlling adhesins' function, and also by indirectly detecting bacteria through their surface-exposed adhesins. Besides, binding of anti-adhesin immunoglobulins on the bacterial surface tend to promote the opsonization of the pathogen. Therefore, bacterial adhesins represent a great target to develop new biopharmaceuticals, which may become commercially and medically important products. In this review, we will summarize the biological importance of bacterial adhesins, and also discuss some recent patents related to these molecules, as well as their use and possible new future developments in this area.
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