Investigating antimicrobial surfaces with isothermal calorimetry

Highlights from our webinar with Olivier Braissant

What happens when cutting-edge calorimetry meets one of today’s biggest biomedical challenges—antimicrobial surfaces? That’s exactly what we explored in our recent webinar with Olivier Braissant from the University of Basel.

As a pioneer in applying microcalorimetry to microbial studies, Olivier shared insights from his research into how this powerful technique can monitor microbial activity on complex materials—everything from dental aligners to orthopedic implants.

If you’re working in biomaterials, antimicrobial coatings, or biofilm research, this is a must-watch.

👉 [Watch the recording now] 

Why Antimicrobial Surfaces Matter for preventing biofilm formation

In medical settings, contaminated implants or surfaces can lead to serious infections. While various antimicrobial coatings exist—such as silver-doped surfaces or essential oil-treated plastics—accurately measuring their efficacy has always been challenging.

Traditional methods often fall short, especially with porous, irregular, or non-transparent materials. That’s where microcalorimetry offers a game-changing advantage.

Calorimetry: Measuring bacterial growth when other methods can't

Olivier demonstrated how isothermal microcalorimetry allows researchers to measure microbial metabolism in real-time—even in hard-to-study environments like inside solid materials or on rough surfaces. The method is:

• Non-destructive

• High-throughput

• Sensitive to both growth and metabolic activity

• Compatible with real-world materials like screws, coatings, and dental polymers

Case Studies from the webinar with medical implants

🔩 Orthopedic implants: Measuring the performance of silver and calcium hydroxide coatings—how well they delay microbial growth, even when traditional tests fail to show any activity.

🦷 Dental aligners: Evaluating essential oil-infused coatings and their effectiveness at limiting biofilm formation between brushing sessions.

🧪 Surface-bacteria interactions: A unique setup that mimics the real-life interface between antimicrobial surfaces and biological fluids, using solid agar to mimic tissues and calorimetry to track biofilm development.

Olivier also discussed the potential of calorimetry to distinguish between bactericidal and bacteriostatic effects—something rarely possible with standard methods.

Who Should Watch

This webinar is packed with actionable insights for:

• Microbiologists

• Biomedical engineers

• R&D teams in medical devices

• Researchers in surface coatings and materials science

• Anyone interested in biofilm dynamics and novel testing approaches

Watch the Full Webinar

Don’t miss the chance to learn from one of the leading voices in microbial calorimetry. Whether you're developing new antimicrobial technologies or just curious about the power of isothermal microcalorimetry, this session is both inspiring and practical.

👉 [Watch the recording now]