Biofilms are one of the world's most persistent problems

Biofilms are organised communities of bacteria encased in a protective, slimy matrix. Forming a biofilm is one of bacteria's most effective survival strategies: within the matrix, bacteria can be up to 1,000 times more resistant to antibiotics and disinfectants than free-floating counterparts.

The hidden threat right under our nose

Biofilms are everywhere, lurking in home drains and sinks, fouling industrial pipes, contaminating water treatment systems, choking the membrane filters in desalination and water purification plants, accumulating in food-processing equipment, coating ships' hulls and submerged infrastructure, and forming inside medical devices. What appears to be a simple "slimy layer" is actually a sophisticated bacterial city with organised neighbourhoods, communication networks, and defence systems.

How biofilms form and persist

Bacteria don't simply adhere to surfaces at random. They follow a multi-step process:

Attachment. Individual bacteria adhere to a surface.

Maturation. Complex 3D structures form, with channels for nutrient flow and a slimy, selectively permeable protective covering.

Departure. When nutrients run low, or bacteria detect a new location to colonise, the protective covering briefly opens, allowing a group of bacteria to leave and settle elsewhere.

This protective layer, known as slime, matrix, or EPS (Extracellular Polymeric Substances), acts like a fortress wall, preventing disinfectants, cleaning agents, and antibiotics from reaching the bacteria inside. Conventional treatments kill the free-floating bacteria around the biofilm, but the community inside survives, which is why biofilm contamination is so persistent and hard to eliminate.

Biofilms represent a significant global challenge for industries and households. Their resistance to standard treatments contributes to a US$4–5 trillion issue affecting health, food and water security, energy, and industrial systems.

Industrial water systems

Biofilms build up in process water lines and water treatment systems, leading to fouling, decreased efficiency, and contamination risks that conventional disinfectants often fail to remove.

Food and beverage production

Persistent biofilms on food-processing equipment continue to be a significant contamination source, even after rigorous cleaning. This results in product recalls, expensive downtime, and health hazards.

Water treatment and reuse

Biofilms in treatment facilities can shelter pathogens, diminish system efficiency, and jeopardise water safety, risking public health and increasing operational expenses.

Homes and domestic plumbing

Biofilms thrive in household drains and P-traps, a persistent reservoir that ordinary cleaning products can mask but not eliminate. The same biological processes that cause industrial failures also drive recurring odours and blockages in domestic settings.

The treatment gap

All current approaches face notable limitations.

Chemical disinfectants. Only the free-floating bacteria around a biofilm are reached. The protective matrix blocks them from reaching the bacteria inside, so the biofilm itself survives and continues to grow.

Physical removal - Labour-intensive, temporary, and frequently incomplete.

High-dose treatments - Environmentally damaging, and they promote resistance.

Heat and UV - Not effective for many applications and have limited impact on established biofilms.

The need for innovation

The biofilm matrix explains why current solutions fall short. An approach that directly targets the matrix, rather than bypassing it, is necessary.

Biofilms resist treatment due to their matrix. Instead of targeting the bacteria inside, we focus on disrupting the matrix itself.

Utilium has identified a naturally derived preparation that targets the biofilm matrix. We have developed a reliable production method and tested it in several in situ assays across different environments, including commercial kitchens, with results consistent with matrix breakdown.

The work is in its early stages. Our current focus is on characterising the active components and building the evidence base for the field.

Biofilms cause the most damage where they occur most: in water. Process, treatment, drinking, and drainage water are the environments where biofilms grow fastest, regrow most aggressively, and cost the most to control. This is where conventional cleaning chemistry repeatedly fails to remove the biofilm itself, and it is where Utilium is focused.

We have been developing methods to weaken the biofilm matrix, and our strongest candidate is now in field trials in commercial kitchens, where drains and grease traps harbour established biofilms that resist routine cleaning and periodically produce strong odours. These are operational settings, not laboratories, so any treatment must demonstrate effectiveness in real-world use.

The same problem appears wherever water sits in contact with a surface: process water lines and heat exchangers in power generation, mining and manufacturing; beverage lines and processing equipment in food production; treatment plants, holding tanks and distribution systems in water reuse; and drains and P-traps in every household. In each of them, operators run the same biocide cycle and see the same regrowth.

Utilium is developing a different mode of action for those environments. The work is early, and the near-term focus is on building field evidence in commercial settings.

Do you have a drain or grease trap with an odour that keeps coming back despite using various cleaning products? We are seeking trial partners, such as restaurants, cafés, and food production facilities, that face ongoing odour problems. Please reach out through the Contact Us page.

Dr David Stapleton — Co-founder & Principal Investigator

Over 25 years of biomedical research at the University of Melbourne, with more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and multiple patents in protein biochemistry and metabolism. Leads the science programme at Utilium, identifying, characterising, and developing the activity underpinning the company’s approach to the biofilm matrix.

Rob Gell AM — Co-founder

President of the Royal Society of Victoria, geographer, broadcaster, and board member of multiple environmental and scientific organisations. Brings decades of experience in connecting science to public understanding, shaping sustainability strategy, and driving commercial impact.

Wani Wall — Commercial Strategy & Regulatory Affairs

Strategic Communications and Special Projects Lead at the Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery, Australia's first hospital-based biomedical engineering innovation hub, working with the CEO and Board on stakeholder engagement and partner ecosystem development. Brings extensive experience in brand development, market entry, and regulatory navigation across sustainability-led ventures. Leads commercial partnership strategy and regulatory pathways for Utilium across industrial water, food and beverage, and consumer markets.