A Matrix-Targeting Enzyme and an Engineered Bioactive Gauze Enable Resistance-Agnostic Antibiofilm Wound Care

The development of biocompatible strategies that dismantle biofilm architecture without exerting bactericidal pressure represents a major challenge in translational biotechnology and materials engineering. Here, we present a matrix-targeted enzymatic strategy for biofilm control that operates in a resistance-agnostic manner and can be deployed on clinically relevant surfaces. Using Acinetobacter baumannii , a World Health Organization critical-priority pathogen, as a clinically relevant model, we identify and characterize CRhAB, a previously uncharacterized polysaccharide-degrading enzyme that selectively erodes the extracellular biofilm matrix. Enzymatic matrix degradation inhibits biofilm formation and rapidly disrupts mature biofilms under biocompatible conditions by removing the structural barrier that shields embedded bacteria. This architectural disruption restores immune access, enhancing macrophage infiltration and phagocytic clearance without directly affecting bacterial viability. To enable practical deployment, CRhAB was covalently immobilized onto clinical-grade gauze, yielding a stable, bioactive material that retains enzymatic function. The enzyme-functionalized dressing suppresses bacterial colonization and accelerates wound healing in a murine infection model. Collectively, this work establishes enzyme-mediated matrix degradation coupled with surface immobilization as a generalizable biotechnological strategy for engineering antibiofilm materials.