An annual growth rate for biomaterials of 16% is forecast to reach $149.17 billion by 2021 from $70.90 billion in 2016. The next generation of biomaterials, i.e. materials that interact with biological systems, are key for the development of new medical devices and advanced approaches in healthcare with significant impact on applicable and affordable treatments for EU citizens. EsterPep has brought together expertise in polymer synthesis, biomaterial design and medical applications with the objective to design a new class of polymeric biomaterials fully based on natural raw materials. These 'hybrid' materials are designed to be novel functional, processible biomaterials with adaptable properties not available from the current technologies on the market.
The overall research aim of this project is to:
• Develop and optimise new route to produce synthetic biomaterials employing natural raw materials.
• Investigate the tunability of their mechanical properties, biodegradability and biocompatibility as a function of their chemical make-up to match the requirements for biomedical applications.
• Demonstrate applicability of biomaterials as a scaffold for tissue regeneration or implantable devices.
Owing to their tunable properties (i.e. mechanical strength, processing temperatures etc.) synthetic polyesters have been at the forefront of degradable implantable materials. However, issues such as inflammation at the site of implantation and mechanical failure has allowed for commercialisation of only a limited number of polyester biomaterials. As an alternative, synthetic polypeptides have received a lot of attention in the past decade. As polypeptides are naturally derived, they offer better biocompatibility, however, polypeptide materials often display poor mechanical strength. It is proposed that the amalgam of these families of materials offer the ability to combine the mechanical strength and processability of polyesters and biocompatibility of polypeptides.
Using a range of well-known polymerisation techniques, we were able to generate a range of polyesters and synthetic polypeptides which could be combined in an affordable way to produce biomaterials. These materials were tested during the course of the action and it was found that by changing the quantities of polyester to polypeptide, the mechanical strength could be tuned from rigid to flexible materials. This potentially allows for these materials to be used in the regeneration of a range of tissue types (i.e. skin, cartilage, bone etc.). Additionally, the rate of degradation could also be tuned depending the required lifetime of an implant. This potentially allows for these materials to be used in the development of degradable implantable devices with varying lifetimes in the patent (i.e. sutures, meshes, stents etc.).Currently, preliminary applicability of the materials for biomedical applications are still under investigation. Biocompatibility studies are ongoing in collaboration with the Tissue Engineering Research Group at Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI).
