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Staphylococcus epidermidis, the most frequently isolated coagulase‐negative staphylococcus, is the leading cause of infection related to implanted medical devices (IMDs). This is directly related to its capability to establish multilayered, highly structured biofilms on artificial surfaces. At present, conventional systemic therapies using standard antimicrobial agents represent the main strategy to treat and prevent medical device‐associated infections. However, device‐related infections are notoriously difficult to treat and bacteria within biofilm communities on the surface of IMDs frequently outlive treatment, and removal of the medical device is often required for successful therapy. Importantly, major advances in this research area have been made, leading to a greater understanding of the complexities of biofilm formation of S. epidermidis and resulting in significant developments in the treatment and prevention of infections related to this member of the coagulase‐negative group of staphylococci. This review will examine the pathogenesis of the clinically significant S. epidermidis and provide an overview of the conventional and emerging antibiofilm approaches in the management of medical device‐associated infections related to this important nosocomial pathogen.

Limitations associated with the production cost, metabolic instability, side-effects, resistance and poor pharmacokinetics of organic protease inhibitors (PIs), which form an essential component of the front line HAART treatment for HIV, have fuelled efforts into finding novel, transition metal-based alternatives. Some of the attractive features of metalbased therapeutics include synthetic simplicity, solubility control, redox capability, expansion of coordination number and topography matching of the complex to the protein's active site. Building asymmetry into the complex, which may offer better discrimination between host and rogue cell, can readily be achieved through coordination of chiral ligands to the metal centre. Although the scope of this review has been limited to metal-based agents that have been reported to bind/inhibit HIV-1 and parasitic proteases, some desirables, such as high activity, low dosage, minimal toxicity, crossinhibition, unique binding modes and selectivity, have already been delivered. The variability of the d-block metals, coupled with the availability of designer organic ligands, augers well for the future development of clinical metallo-drugs for deployment against protease-associated, fatal diseases.