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Starch - Hyaluronic acid based staple microfibers for wound dressings

Prof. Radim Hrdina, University of Pardubice; Assoc. Prof. Ladislav Burgert, University of Pardubice; Assoc. Prof. Anna Krejcova, University of Pardubice; Dr Iveta Brozkova, University of Pardubice; Assoc. Prof Vladimír Velebny, Contipro Inc.; Veronika Stepankova, Contipro Inc.

University of Pardubice


Challenge

Rising cases of injuries and increasing incidence of diabetes and obesity escalates the level of wound infection and chronic wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers. As per the International Diabetes Federation, the incidence of diabetes is expected to reach 642 million by 2040.

Surgeons perform over 27 million operations yearly in the United States with almost 500,000 of these procedures resulting in a surgical site infection with an estimated cost of $1.5billion per year in US.

Adhesions occur after up to 97% of abdominal interventions causing chronic pain, infertility, and intestinal obstruction. Anti-adhesion products help prevent or reduce the risk of post-surgical adhesions by creating a barrier between tissue and organs during the healing process. Various concepts to prevent adhesions have been presented but mostly have low efficacy.


Technology

The biological properties of hyaluronic acid (HA) are related to its influence on inflammation processes, formation of new capillaries, binding to lymphatic vessels and stimulation of cell receptors.

Iodine is a highly effective topical antimicrobial agent with a broad antimicrobial spectrum. The anti-adhesive, hydrophilic and healing properties have been confirmed in many studies for the complex of hyaluronic acid and iodine. Unfortunately, this complex is unstable and the amount of iodine in the product decreases quite rapidly. Medicine deals with iodine’s instability and quick vaporization by utilizing so-called iodophors, i.e. carriers and stabilizers of iodine. However some of these preparations have shown to desiccate the wound surface and are available only in a form of a paste dressing, an ointment or a gel.

Starch is a biocompatible and biodegradable material with high sorption capacity, it is strongly hydrophilic and does not provoke allergic or toxic reactions and is well-known to bind iodine very well.

The technology enables to produce biocompatible and biodegradable wound dressings based on staple microfibers of starch and hyaluronic acid, which leads to a more durable material that remains active for a longer period, has enhanced mechanical properties and is suitable for dermal and surgical application. These dressings can also contain a pharmaceutically active substance, f. e. iodine, which can be incorporated in the way that eliminates its loss due to sublimation or chemical reactions and ensures the maximized antimicrobial activity and increased shelf life of the product.


Commercial Opportunity

This innovative HA-starch based wound care material with the incorporated antimicrobial agent can deliver powerful protection against wound infection while promoting natural healing.

It could be also suitable for internal wounds because it contains only biocompatible polymers occurring in living organisms.


Development Status

Laboratory manufacturing process has been developed in collaboration with a Czech biotech company Contipro a.s. It allows the production of HA-starch based non-woven textiles.

Wide variety of controlled parameters makes the material suitable for the design and development of a range of dermal and surgical products.

Antibacterial activity of the dressings with iodine was evaluated in vitro in an agar diffusion tests.

Ex-vivo and in-vivo studies are in preparation to investigate standard wound healing parameters, including re-epithelization and inflammation.


Patent Situation

Priority patent application filed in 1/2019.


Further Reading

Not published yet.


 

Starch - Hyaluronic acid based staple microfibers for wound dressings