Production of 3D poly(lactic acid) (pla) biocuratives using electrospinning and rotary jet spinning processes and development of a portable electrospinning device

• Grant number: 22/10500-0
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: February 01, 2023
• End date: October 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Technology
• Principal Investigator: Ana Flávia Pattaro
• Grantee: Ana Flávia Pattaro
• Company: Dermbio Biotech Ltda
• CNAE: Fabricação de artefatos de material plástico não especificados anteriormente
• Associated researchers: André Luiz Jardini Munhoz ; Juliana Otavia Bahú ; Maria Ingrid Rocha Barbosa Schiavon ; Paulo Kharmandayan ; Rubens Maciel Filho ; Viktor Oswaldo Cardenas Concha
• Associated research grant(s): 24/02724-0 - Development of a new generation of dressings with in situ formation in the injury, AP.PIPE
• Associated scholarship(s): 23/04921-5 - NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF PORTABLE ELECTROSPINING APPLICATOR, BP.TT; 23/04864-1 - Production of 3D poly (lactic acid) (PLA) biocuratives using electrospinning and rotary jet spinning processes and development of a portable electrospinning device, BP.PIPE

Abstract

In Brazil there are about 5 million patients with chronic wounds for various causes, becoming a major public health and economic problem when not treated properly, which can cause amputations and in some cases death, depending on the existing injury. Most of the treatment aimed at the management of these injuries addresses the autologous skin graft in place of the wound. However, more affordable solutions have been sought to find therapies that reduce, prevent, and/or minimize the risks of complications from improper management of these lesions, while providing rapid healing in a functional and aesthetically satisfactory manner. With the pandemic of COVID-19, we have seen the fragility of our health system, with great dependence on the importation of hospital supplies, as well as the risk of contamination of vulnerable patients, who could on many occasions, go through a process of domestic recovery, by means of efficient and easily managed therapeutic actions. Many patients do not accept conventional treatments and are eager for solutions that reduce pain and wound treatment time. In this scenario, biocuratives emerge as innovative options for the treatment of these patients. Aiming at this potential market, we will develop national and easily accessible solutions to promote the rapid recovery of patients affected by chronic injuries, presenting a therapy capable of restoring/recovering the quality of life of these patients, socially and economically. PHASE 1 of this project will enable the production of 3D biocuratives produced from bioresorbable polymers derived from lactic acid (LA), Poly (lactic acid) (PLA), an aliphatic polyester with inherently biocompatible characteristics. In this project, the synthesis of PLA will be performed since the researchers of the team have the know-how and patent granted by the INPI, which is an important factor in pricing the final product and entering the intended market. When the LA is derived from renewable sources, it becomes a very suitable product for applications in the health area. PLA has stood out in several applications in the medical field (drug delivery systems, implants, and scaffolds), when synthesized under favorable conditions, in terms of bioresorption and bioactivity, performing specific functions, and regenerating tissues through interaction with cells. To ensure the necessary characteristics, such as presenting a highly porous structure and at the same time acting as a water barrier, the 3D PLA biocuratives will be made, using the techniques of conventional electrospinning and rotary jet spinning, as well as developing a portable electrospinning device. This specific point of the proposal will focus on the national development of a portable electro-woven applicator, promoting the fast and direct application of the biocurative to the patient during treatment or surgery, for example, in order to maximize the potentiality and efficiency of the 3D biocurative. To obtain the 3D biocuratives, the polymers will be synthesized through a clean production route, without the use of solvents or potentially toxic reagents, "know-how" of the team involved in the project, ensuring technological or market independence to obtain the raw material. With this, national products are made viable, with lower cost and efficiency compatible with those available in the market, in addition to the technological innovation of direct application of the electro-wound dressing on the wound. For applications that require a larger volume of biocurative (large scale) the rotary jet spnning technology will be able to provide a production in a larger quantity of the product, to meet these demands. With these technologies of production of biocuratives, we hope as a result to obtain 3D biocuratives in PLA able to enable, in a short time, the healing of chronic wounds. Biological evaluation tests (in vitro) will be carried out to study viability and biocompatibility. (AU)