IEA DEMARquATION

3D bio-based polymer μ-cages for antibacterial applications

IEA DEMARquATION
2022 – 2023
Contact:

Davy Louis VERSACE
01 49 78 12 28

 

Australian partner:
Cyrille BOYER

NEWS

NEWS

NEWS

Introduction

 Infections by pathogenic microorganisms are of great concern in many fields, particularly in medical devices, hospital surfaces/furniture, and surgery equipment. Approximately 64% of hospital- acquired infections worldwide are due to the attachment and the proliferation of bacteria to medical implants, and they are associated with an annual mortality of 100 000 persons in the US as well as an increase in health-care costs. To face the problem of increasing resistance of bacteria toward antibiotics, much attention has been focused on developing new antimicrobial systems in biomedical industry. Considering the daunting complexity of bacteria populations and diversity of materials surface characteristics, new chemical strategies are necessary to limit and prevent the bacterial colonization.

The proposed project aims at developing and designing an original photoactive and biocide materials which judiciously associates building block photoactive biomaterials (generating reactive oxygen species) and a 3D-printing fabrication strategy. Our approach will rely on computer-assisted 3D- polymerization (CAD) procedures to create three-dimensional models, with high spatial precision and various geometries (cylinders, tubulars triangles, honeycombs).

Mission and research themes

We propose to design 3D-antibacterial microstructures by a controlled-radical photopolymerization process (PET-RAFT) using new porphyrin derivatives as photocatalysts and new natural photopolymerizable bio-based monomers as scaffolds. These final 3D-materials would be able, through photoactivation at different visible-light wavelengths, light intensities or irradiation times, to generate locally biocide reactive oxygen species (ROS). The amplification of concentration gradients of ROS within these μ-volumes will enhance the biocidal effect. The strategy to reach this goal is as follow: porphyrin derivative which is embedded in the μ-cages will be judiciously employed as i) photo-catalysts for PET-RAFT photopolymerization of photopolymerizable bio-based monomers for the 3D-micro-cages fabrication, ii) pre-concentrators for the photogeneration of biocide ROS leading to an original trap and an efficient way of killing bacteria upon visible-light exposure.

The implemented strategy to reach this goal is as follow: the porphyrin derivative which is embedded in the μ-cages will be judiciously employed as i) photo-catalysts for PET-RAFT photopolymerization of photopolymerizable bio-based monomers for the 3D-micro-cages fabrication (upon NIR irradiation), ii) pre-concentrators for the photogeneration of biocide agent leading to an original trap and an efficient way of killing bacteria by releasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon visible-light exposure and iii) on-demand triggering the release of ROS according to the wavelength emission of the light source, the irradiation time and intensity, thus allowing to reuse the 3D-materials. These novel materials could find disinfection applications in the medical field.

Network activities and expected results

We expect to design 3D-microstructures dedicated to bacteria entrapping by a controlled-radical photopolymerization process (PET-RAFT) using new porphyrin derivatives as photocatalysts and new natural photopolymerizable bio-based monomers as scaffolds. These 3D-materials would be able, through photoactivation at different visible-light wavelengths, different light intensities or irradiation times, to generate locally biocide reactive oxygen species (ROS). Therefore, a biocidal biomaterial with long-term photoactivable antibacterial properties is expected and could be re-used after many antibacterial cycles. These novel materials could find disinfection applications in the medical field.

 

Institutions and laboratories involved

France

UMR7182 Institut de Chimie et des Matériaux Paris-Est – ICMPE (CNRS/Université Paris-Est Créteil)

Australia

Australian Centre for NanoMedicine (ACN), Centre for Advanced Macromolecular Design, School of Chemical Engineering
(The University of New South Wales, Sydney)

ILLUSTRATION?