| Catheter-associated infections are a major problem in modern medicine and one of the most common causes of death in the treatment of seriously ill patients . The proposed project is focused to the prevention of bacterial colonization on peritoneal dialysis catheters by a biomimetic monomolecular coating consisting of tetraetherlipid (TEL) molecules. The TEL molecules will be immobilized covalently resulting in a dense and stable membrane-like barrier against bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. Due to the fact that bacterial adherence is controlled thermodynamically the outermost hydrophilic head group of the TEL will be modified to obtain a positive enthalpy of adhesion and to allow surface-coupling of antimicrobial agents. Thus anti-adhesive and an anti-microbial catheter surfaces can be designed to prevent bacterial adhesion as the main prerequisite for medical device related infections. |