Biomedical Products Research Articles

Integrating AI with Chemical Engineering for Rapid Biomaterial Development in Health Applications

This research presents an innovative approach to healthcare biomaterial development by integrating AI with chemical engineering methodologies. This study combines AI’s predictive power with the precision of chemical engineering to accelerate the discovery and optimization of biomaterials tailored for health applications while focusing on biocompatibility, adaptability, and stringent biomedical functionality. By using machine learning frameworks and advanced simulation software, the project developed predictive models that streamline biomaterial synthesis. This reduced experimental cycles by up to 40% and shortened development timelines by over 30%. Through neural networks and hybrid AI models, material properties such as degradation rate, strength, and biocompatibility can be accurately predicted, which minimizes in vivo testing and accelerates the transition from laboratory research to clinical trials. Protocols optimized through AI-driven insights enhance biomaterial production’s reproducibility and scalability while reducing material costs by 20%, which supports economically viable synthesis methods for large-scale applications. This research contributes a customizable AI framework for health-focused biomaterial solutions and impacts areas such as regenerative medicine, drug delivery, and implantable devices. Future directions include integrating real-time clinical feedback into AI models to improve safety and adaptability, thus advancing sustainable and personalized approaches to biomaterial development. This interdisciplinary framework demonstrates how AI-enhanced chemical engineering workflows can yield adaptive biomaterials suited to specific biomedical needs and offers unprecedented precision in material selection. The model’s high predictive accuracy in biocompatibility screening, achieving over 90%, enables focused experimental validation while reducing the need to rely on animal studies, which fosters ethical research practices. The sustainability impact of this project is significant, as AI-driven optimization reduces resource consumption and waste and aligns with eco-friendly biomaterial development practices. Ultimately, this research paves the way for rapid, efficient, and sustainable innovations in healthcare materials and sets a foundation for future advancements in personalized medical applications.

Application of biomedical cell products in the treatment of congenital epidermolysis bullosa

Congenital epidermolysis bullosa is a phenotypically and genetically heterogeneous group of genodermatoses, which which is clinically manifested by the development of blisters on the skin and mucous membranes after mechanical injury. The presence of long-term erosive and ulcerative defects in patients with congenital epidermolysis bullosa reduces the quality of patients` life and also leads to malignancy of the lesions, as a result of constant stimulation of regenerative processes.Currently, there are a lot of publications describing the use of skin substitutes, three-dimensional tissue-engineered structures based on auto- and allogeneic cells that promote rapid epithelization of wounds in patients with congenital epidermolysis bullosa. The most prospective and at the same time the least studied direction of congenital epidermolysis bullosa treatment is the use of a combined skin equivalent created on the basis of keratinocytes and fibroblasts, which mixes the advantages of epidermal and dermal grafts.

Regulation of the Promoter for Capsular Polysaccharide Synthesis in Neisseria meningitidis Serogroup B by HTH_XRE Family Transcription Factor.

Pathogenic Neisseria meningitidis , a causal agent of bacterial meningitis, secretes capsular polysaccharides of different compositions that differentiate the serogroups. Since the capsule is an important virulence factor that determines adhesion to epithelia and ability to invade tissues, there is need to understand the underlying mechanisms for its expression. Furthermore, bacterial polysaccharides are potential sources of novel biomaterials. The expression of the capsule production genes is regulated, and this study reveals a mechanism involving a transcription factor, HTH_XRE, whose function in Neisseria meningitidis is not known. It extends the understanding of capsular expression regulation by identifying other control elements in the promoter region. The results will have applications in optimizing biomaterial production or in developing therapeutic interventions.

HIV Prevention Product Acceptability and Preference Among Women in Sub-Saharan Africa to Inform Novel Biomedical Options in Development: A Systematic Review.

The availability of several HIV prevention options may allow women to choose a product that suits their lifestyle and preferences. Product attributes and contextual factors influence product acceptability, which affects uptake and effective use. We conducted a systematic review of acceptability and preference for biomedical HIV prevention products among women in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to inform the development of novel products. We used a comprehensive strategy to search three databases for peer-reviewed literature from SSA published between January 2015 and December 2023. A two-stage review process assessed references against eligibility criteria. Data were abstracted using a standardized spreadsheet, then organized by constructs from two theoretical frameworks of acceptability. Results were synthesized based on product classes defined by route of administration. We identified 408 unique references; 100 references met eligibility criteria. References assessed oral PrEP (n = 65), vaginal ring (n = 44), long-acting systemic products (injectable, implant, microarray patch) (n = 28), and other vaginal products (film, insert, gel) (n = 20). Over two-thirds reported qualitative or mixed-methods data, primarily from adolescent girls and young women. Frequent dosing, especially noted for daily oral PrEP, and perceived/experienced side effects were notably negative influences. Most end-users preferred long-acting products (systemically or vaginally delivered), though on-demand products offering user control were also valued. Influencing factors, especially partners, shaped end-user perceptions of product attributes and acceptability. All products were linked to at least some barriers to uptake and/or use, highlighting the need to provide end-users with a range of options and assist them in identifying one that best suits their circumstances and needs. Biomedical HIV prevention development should advance products that address gaps in available options while optimizing favorable product attributes to achieve high acceptability that ultimately supports adoption and use.

Comparison of autologous venous grafts and three types of extracellular matrix grafts in Peyronie's disease surgery.

Peyronie's disease (PD) is known as a wound-healing disorder for which surgery remains the gold-standard treatment, but studies comparing graft materials are limited in the literature. The aim of this study was to evaluate the mid- and long-term results of patients who underwent surgery for PD with grafting procedures performed by a single experienced surgeon according to graft materials. Patients who underwent corporoplasty between 2014 and 2020 with grafting procedures performed by a single experienced surgeon were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 115 patients were divided into 4 groups according to the grafting material used: autologous saphenous venous grafts, Group 1 (n = 36); porcine pericardial extracellular matrix grafts (EMGs; XenoGuard, MBP Medical Biomaterial Products GmbH, Neustadt-Glewe, Germany), Group 2 (n = 40); porcine intestinal submucosal EMGs (BioDesign, Cook Medical, Bloomington, IN, USA), Group 3 (n = 36); and bovine pericardial EMGs (Tutopatch, Tutogen Medical, Inc., Alachua, FL, USA), Group 4 (n = 43). The mean operation time for Group 1 was longer than that of the other groups (p < 0.001). When comparing the groups in pairs, it was observed that the duration of postoperative loss of sensation (LOS) was significantly shorter in Group 3 (12.3 ± 5.3 days) and Group 4 (15.1 ± 3.1 days) (p < 0.05). There was a statistically significant difference between Groups 1 and 4 in penile length loss when the groups were compared in pairs (p = 0.017). There was a statistically significant difference between patients with penile curvatures of 0° to 59° and patients with curvatures of ≥60° in terms of duration of postoperative LOS (14.4 ± 5 vs. 16.4 ± 5.8 days, respectively; p = 0.028) and penile length loss (2.6 ± 5 vs. 5.7 ± 6.8 mm, respectively; p = 0.002). The findings suggest that EMGs should be preferred to autologous venous grafts due to reduced postoperative erectile dysfunction, shorter operation time, and shorter recovery time for LOS.

Sustainable Polymeric Biomaterials from Alternative Feedstocks.

As materials engineered to interact with biological systems for medical purposes, polymeric biomedical materials have revolutionized and are indispensable in modern healthcare. However, aging populations and improving healthcare standards worldwide have resulted in ever-increasing demands for such biomaterials. Currently, many clinically used polymers are derived from nonrenewable petroleum resources, thus spurring the need for exploring alternatives for the next generation of sustainable biomaterials. Other than biomass, this Perspective also spotlights carbon dioxide and postuse plastics as viable resources potentially suitable for biomaterial production. For each alternative feedstock, key recent developments and practical considerations are discussed, including emerging biomaterial applications, possible feedstock sources, and hindrances toward translation and practical adoption. Other than replacements for petroleum-derived polymers, we explore how utilization of these alternatives capitalizes on their intrinsic physiochemical and material properties to achieve their desired therapeutic effects. We hope that this Perspective can stimulate further development in sustainable biomaterials to achieve practical therapeutic benefits as part of a circular materials economy with minimal environmental impact.

Using stated preference methods to design gender-affirming long-acting PrEP programs for transgender and nonbinary adults.

Integrating gender-affirming care with biomedical HIV prevention could help address the disproportionate HIV risk experienced by transgender and nonbinary (trans) adults. This discrete choice experiment assesses and identifies the most important programming factors influencing the decisions of trans adults to use injectable long-acting HIV pre-exposure prophylaxes (LA-PrEP). From March to April 2023 n = 366 trans adults in Washington state chose between four different choice profiles that presented hypothetical programs (each comprised of 5 attributes with 4 levels). We analyzed ranked choice responses using a mixed rank-ordered logit model for main effects. Respondents preferred to receive LA-PrEP from a gender-affirming care provider and a co-prescription for both oral and injectable hormones. Trans adults strongly favored 12-month protection and injection in the upper arm. No strong preferences emerged surrounding the type of health facility offering the gender-affirming LA-PrEP program. Our findings show that integrating and leveraging gender-affirming health systems, inclusive of medical services such as hormone therapy, with HIV biomedical products like LA-PrEP is strongly preferred and influential to trans adults' decision to use LA-PrEP. Leveraging choice-based design experiments provides informative results for optimizing gender-affirming LA-PrEP programming tailored to trans adults.

Bioprospecting for sustainable and eco-friendly bioproducts: A case study of multi-enzyme production by soil microbes

Microbial multi-enzyme production is a promising research area involving microbes that can simultaneously synthesize numerous enzymes for the degradation of substrates with environmental sustainability and other industrial applications as the focus. During this study, we isolated, screened, and identified some multi-enzyme-producing microbes from three soil sites in Ibadan: Apete Dumpsite (ADS); Botanical Garden University of Ibadan- (BGUI); and Eleyele Cassava Processing Field- (ECPF). Precisely 500 g of soil were collected per point at different depths (0–10, 10–20, and 20–30 cm) and further analyzed. The microbial load and type and enzyme assays were determined. The highest average microbial count (6.9 × 108 CFU/g) was recorded in the ECPF soil sample at 0–10 cm depth, while the lowest microbial count of 3.3 × 105 CFU/g at 20–30 cm soil depth in BGUI. Multi-enzyme-producing microbes were identified phenotypically and molecularly. This study revealed an inverse relationship between microbial community composition and soil depth. Bacterial and fungal genera had higher species richness, biodiversity, and evenness than yeast from all sampled points. With significant amylolytic, proteolytic, lipolytic, cellulolytic, and pectinolytic activities, 22 of the 193 isolates were identified as multienzyme producers. The blasted 16S rRNA and ITS rRNA amplicon sequences compared with sequences in the NCBI gene bank identified Bacillus, Roseomonas, Aeromonas, Phanerochaete, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Trametes, and Rigidoporus species. Results from this study show that topsoils (0–10 cm), rich with organic matter, are good reservoirs of multienzyme-producing microorganisms- applicable for environmental sustainability and in other important industries for waste management, food processing, and biomaterial production.

Impact of polycaprolactone, alginate, chitosan and zein nanofiber physical properties on immune cells for safe biomedical applications.

Nanofiber safety, especially immunogenicity, is important for their successful translation to clinical setting. This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of how nanofiber physical properties influence immune cells cultured on them, specifically peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). We prepared nanofibers with a wide range of physical properties including various diameters, interfibrillar pore sizes and mat thicknesses, using four main polymers: polycaprolactone, alginate, chitosan, and zein. Our findings show that nanofiber diameters had only a marginal influence on the activity of immune cells, whereas interfibrillar nanofiber pore sizes had a significant effect, and mat thickness proved to have the greatest impact. Cells that penetrated deeper into the thick nanofiber mats ceased to proliferate but did not experience cytotoxicity. Moreover, we discovered that PBMCs penetrating the zein/PVP nanofiber mesh exhibited increased metabolic activity, indicating potential immunogenicity, whereas the other tested non-immunogenic nanofibers reduced it. To best of our knowledge, this study is the first to report on the impact of various nanofiber physical properties on in vitro immune cell behavior, thereby expanding the knowledge in the relatively underexplored field of nanofiber immunological safety. It underscores the need for rigorous preclinical nanofiber assessment and setting new standards for designing nanofiber-based biomedical products.

THE CONCEPT OF THE SYSTEM OF LEGAL PROTECTION OF OBJECTS WILDLIFE AS A RESULT OF INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITY

The problems of the legal regime of the results of creative activity related to wildlife and humans have acquired special scientific significance and practical value in many countries, including Russia and Kazakhstan. Therefore, research on the development of concepts for the adaptation of the intellectual property law system as a sub-branch of civil law, the definition of the legal regime of new wildlife objects resulting from intellectual activity, and their integration into the already existing legal system, have a strategic level of state tasks aimed at achieving a balance of public and private interests, especially in the field of biomedical technologies and genomic experiments that create very significant risks not only for the living humanity, but also for future generations. Taking into account the above, this article presents the results of a scientific analysis conducted in order to develop a theoretical concept for building a system of legal protection of wildlife objects as the results of intellectual activity and to make proposals for improving legislation in the field of intellectual property law. Based on the results of the study, it is proposed to modernize the system of law in the field of intellectual property in terms of objects of wildlife, including new objects in addition to existing breeding achievements, namely: strains of microorganisms, genetically modified organisms, biomedical cell products, genomes, and other results of intellectual activity created using human and animal biomaterials, including birds, fish and other representatives of fauna, and provide them with an independent legal regime. The revision of the last object "other results ..." allows you to leave the list of wildlife objects open in order, if necessary, to introduce another innovative object into the intellectual property system, providing it with an appropriate legal regime, without additional changes to the law.

Current Status of Biomedical Products for Gene and Cell Therapy of Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa.

This detailed review describes innovative strategies and current products for gene and cell therapy at different stages of research and development to treat recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) which is associated with the functional deficiency of collagen type VII alpha 1 (C7) caused by defects in the COL7A1 gene. The use of allogenic mesenchymal stem/stromal cells, which can be injected intradermally and intravenously, appears to be the most promising approach in the field of RDEB cell therapy. Injections of genetically modified autologous dermal fibroblasts are also worth mentioning under this framework. The most common methods of RDEB gene therapy are gene replacement using viral vectors and gene editing using programmable nucleases. Ex vivo epidermal transplants (ETs) based on autologous keratinocytes (Ks) have been developed using gene therapy methods; one such ET successively passed phase III clinical trials. Products based on the use of two-layer transplants have also been developed with both types of skin cells producing C7. Gene products have also been developed for local use. To date, significant progress has been achieved in the development of efficient biomedical products to treat RDEB, one of the most severe hereditary diseases.

Elucidating the potential of bimetallic mixed metal oxide (FeO/NiO) in fusion with pristine and N- and S-doped graphene oxide for biomedical applications

Antimicrobial resistance is attributed to acquiring new mechanisms by microbes to combat antimicrobial agents, highlighting the necessity to discover new antimicrobial agents to protect human health. Graphene and its derivatives have shown antimicrobial potential due to their physical and chemical distinctive features. Potent antibacterial properties were observed by decorating the surface of graphene and its derivatives with inorganic nanoparticles, such as metal and metal oxide. In an attempt to reliably overcome antimicrobial resistance, the multifunctional nanocomposites, including FeO/NiO, FeO/NiO/GO, FeO/NiO/N-GO, and FeO/NiO/S-GO, were synthesized using a wet chemical method. Accordingly, the structural analysis was performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV–vis), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). For antibacterial potential, the synthesized nanocomposites were tested against non-resistant and resistant strains of bacteria. Notably, moderate antibacterial potential was found for FeO/NiO/N-GO nanocomposite with a MIC value of 12.5 μg/mL, compared to the MIC of pure Ciprofloxacin, a positive control, with a value of 1.25 μg/mL. Toward antifungal potential, the synthesized nanocomposites were assessed against various spores of fungal strains. In this regard, the synthesized nanocomposites were demonstrated as potent antifungal agents. Among the synthesized nanocomposites, FeO/NiO and FeO/NiO/S-GO exhibited the highest ZOI against Aspergillus flavus. Additionally, the activity of these nanocomposites was evaluated by means of total reducing power (TRP), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and free radical scavenging. Further, the antioxidant, brine shrimp lethality, and hemolytic potential of the synthesized nanocomposites were evaluated to compare their effectiveness. According to brine shrimp lethality, all synthesized nanocomposites were sufficiently active, with a calculated median lethal concentration (LC50) showing ≥ 50 % mortality. The obtained results provide a promising base for the incorporation of nanocomposites in pharmaceutical and biomedical products.

The cutting-edge progress in bioprinting for biomedicine: principles, applications, and future perspectives.

Bioprinting is a highly promising application area of additive manufacturing technology that has been widely used in various fields, including tissue engineering, drug screening, organ regeneration, and biosensing. Its primary goal is to produce biomedical products such as artificial implant scaffolds, tissues and organs, and medical assistive devices through software-layered discrete and numerical control molding. Despite its immense potential, bioprinting technology still faces several challenges. It requires concerted efforts from researchers, engineers, regulatory bodies, and industry stakeholders are principal to overcome these challenges and unlock the full potential of bioprinting. This review systematically discusses bioprinting principles, applications, and future perspectives while also providing a topical overview of research progress in bioprinting over the past two decades. The most recent advancements in bioprinting are comprehensively reviewed here. First, printing techniques and methods are summarized along with advancements related to bioinks and supporting structures. Second, interesting and representative cases regarding the applications of bioprinting in tissue engineering, drug screening, organ regeneration, and biosensing are introduced in detail. Finally, the remaining challenges and suggestions for future directions of bioprinting technology are proposed and discussed. Bioprinting is one of the most promising application areas of additive manufacturing technology that has been widely used in various fields. It aims to produce biomedical products such as artificial implant scaffolds, tissues and organs, and medical assistive devices. This review systematically discusses bioprinting principles, applications, and future perspectives, which provides a topical description of the research progress of bioprinting.

Assessment of Chondrogenic Potential of Human Dermal Fibroblasts with Various Protein Modifications

BACKGROUND: Hyaline cartilage is an avascular tissue that covers surface of large joints. This tissue, with a small number of cells and a high content of extracellular matrix proteins, has limited regenerative capacity. Recovery the articular cartilage remains a relevant and not yet fully resolved issue today. A promising approach is the use of biomedical products containing modified cells. AIM: To investigate the effects of different culture media on the chondrogenic modification of cells and to compare the results. METHODS: Human dermal fibroblasts and rabbit mesenchymal stem cells were modified using chondrogenic differentiation medium StemPro or recombinant TGF-β3 protein. Changes in the expression of genes responsible for chondrogenesis (Acan, Tgfβ3, Col2α1, Comp) were measured using the Real-Time PCR method -2ΔΔCt. RESULTS: It was shown that human dermal fibroblasts are capable of chondrogenic modification using protein media. This cell type is easily accessible for harvesting, does not require special conditions for cultivation, is easily scalable, and can be used for allogeneic transplantation. CONCLUSION: The obtained data can be used in the design of tissue engineering products for the regeneration of hyaline cartilage based on allogeneic dermal fibroblasts.

Efficient Hydroxyapatite Extraction from Salmon Bone Waste: An Improved Lab-Scaled Physico-Chemico-Biological Process.

The demand for novel tissue grafting and regenerative wound care biomaterials is growing as traditional options often fall short in biocompatibility, functional integration with human tissue, associated cost(s), and sustainability. Salmon aquaculture generates significant volumes of waste, offering a sustainable opportunity for biomaterial production, particularly in osteo-conduction/-induction, and de novo clinical/surgical bone regeneration. Henceforth, this study explores re-purposing salmon waste through a standardized pre-treatment process that minimizes the biological waste content, followed by a treatment stage to remove proteins, lipids, and other compounds, resulting in a mineral-rich substrate. Herein, we examined various methods-alkaline hydrolysis, calcination, and NaOH hydrolysis-to better identify and determine the most efficient and effective process for producing bio-functional nano-sized hydroxyapatite. Through comprehensive chemical, physical, and biological assessments, including Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, we also optimized the extraction process. Our modified and innovative alkaline hydrolysis-calcination method yielded salmon-derived hydroxyapatite with a highly crystalline structure, an optimal Ca/P ratio, and excellent biocompatibility. The attractive nano-scale cellular/tissular properties and favorable molecular characteristics, particularly well-suited for bone repair, are comparable to or even surpass those of synthetic, human, bovine, and porcine hydroxyapatite, positioning it as a promising candidate for use in tissue engineering, wound healing, and regenerative medicine indications.

Long-term and high-efficiency capture of Escherichia coli using cellulose acetate nanofiber membrane functionalized with reactive 19 dye and polyhexamethylene biguanide

Cellulose acetate (CA) nanofibers have been popularly applied in various biomedical and textile products. In this work, a textile azo-dye Reactive Green 19 (RG19) was selected to be chemically coupled to the CA nanofiber membrane to form dyed CA nanofiber membrane (namely CA-RG19) and then poly(hexamethylene biguanide) (PHMB) as an antibacterial reagent was physically attached to the dyed CA nanofiber membrane, forming CA-RG19-PHMB nanofiber membrane. The nanofiber membranes were evaluated for their physical and mechanical properties, including functional group analysis, morphological characterization, and thermal stability assessment. To investigate the antibacterial properties of the nanofiber membrane, various concentrations of RG19 dye and PHMB were tested to evaluate the antibacterial efficiency (AE) against Escherichia coli of the membranes. It was found that the CA-RG19-PHMB nanofiber membrane exhibited an AE value of approximately 100 %, with the immobilization concentrations of RG19 dye and PHMB being 373.46 mg/g and 0.333 mg/g, respectively. The CA-RG19-PHMB nanofiber membrane showed 100 % antibacterial efficacy after 10 min against E. coli cells. Furthermore, the storage stability of the CA-RG19-PHMB nanofiber membrane remained at approximately 100 % of its initial antibacterial efficacy after 60 days, and it exhibited excellent antibacterial efficacy after five cycles.

Cousinia birandiana (Asteraceae): phytochemical composition, antioxidant and enzyme inhibition capacity

Cousinia birandiana is one of the widely spread species of the Asteraceae family. In this study, the total phenolic and flavonoid contents, the inhibitory effect on α-amylase, α-glucosidase, acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase enzymes, the antioxidant capacity (by DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, CUPRAC tests) and the phytochemical content (by LC-HRMS) of the ethanol extract and fractions were studied. As a result, it was shown that ethanol extract has better enzyme inhibitory effects on α-amylase, AChE and BChE enzymes with 300.000, 380.605 and 133.567 µg/mL IC50 values. Besides that, the highest phenolic and flavonoid content was found in the ethyl acetate fraction (735.986 mgGAE/gextract and 952.317 mgCA/gextract, respectively). It is observed that the same fraction has better antioxidant activity in DPPH (IC50 =112.701 mg/mL), ABTS (9.494 µM Trolox/gextract) and CUPRAC (1120.454 mgGAE/gextract) tests and the n-hexane fraction has a higher FRAP (1351.199 mmol Fe2+/gextract) antioxidant effect. According to the phytochemical analyses quinic acid, chlorogenic acid and isoquercitrin were found as major compounds in the ethanol extract and fractions. In addition, the same assays were carried out with these major substances. So, this plant can be viewed as a promising bio-resource for pharmaceuticals and biomedical products.

Preclinical testing of immunotoxicity for animal-derived dermal materials

Animal derived materials have been widely used in biomedical products owing to their good biocompatibility and appropriate mechanical properties. It is crucial to evaluate the immunotoxicity of such materials in preclinical testing to prevent severe immune responses in patients. In this study, a pipeline of immunotoxicity tests was established to evaluate animal-derived materials before de-cellularization and final products. This pipeline contains a serial of animal tests on BALB/c mice and an in vitro quantification test for a-Gal antigen. It is well-recognized that the interaction between materials and patients profoundly alters immune responses, thus, a comprehensive dataset including body weight, immune organ coefficient, histopathology, peripheral hematology, serum immunoglobulin level, spleen lymphocyte proliferation rate, and their subpopulation was created and analyzed using the SPSS tool. These results clearly suggested that the de-cellularized materials possessed better biocompatibility, in addition, the a-Gal antigen content was effectively decreased by 96.0 ​% after de-cellularization. Thus, this study confirmed that this multi-step enzymatic de-cellularization treatment is a potent method to reduce the immunotoxicity of animal-derived biomaterials. Moreover, the experimental pipeline will likely be transferable to other biomedical materials and products.

Comparative efficiency of different polyol-based deep eutectic solvents for chitin extraction from lobster shells

In this study, deep eutectic solvent (DES) prepared from choline chloride, lactic acid, and one of the four polyols (ethylene glycol, glycerol, xylitol, and sorbitol) were compared and assessed for their effectiveness in extracting chitin from lobster shells. Our results revealed that as the number of hydroxyl groups in polyols increased, the hydrogen bond network within the DESs became denser. However, this led to a corresponding increase in viscosity, which impacted the efficiency of chitin extraction. Among all prepared DESs, choline chloride-lactic acid/glycerol (CCLaGly) exhibited superior extractive ability, resulting in the extraction of pure chitin from lobster shells. The purity, crystallinity, and molecular weight of the extracted chitin using CCLaGly DES were comparable to those of chemically-isolated chitin, with purity reaching 94.76 ± 0.33 %, crystallinity at 78.78 %, and a molecular weight of 655 kDa. Additionally, the physicochemical properties of the DES-extracted chitins were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. This study conducted a comparative analysis of polyol effects on chitin extraction from lobster shells, thereby opening a promising avenue for the utilization of various crustacean shells in sustainable biomaterial production.

Experimental study on performance characteristics of a −70 °C ultra-low temperature medical freezer with mixed hydrocarbon refrigerant

It is well-known that the −70 °C ultra-low temperature freezers have been widely concerned for vaccine and biomedical products storage due to the outbreak of COVID-19. This paper carries out the experimental investigation on performance characteristics of a −70 °C ultra-low temperature medical freezer with single-stage Joule-Thomson refrigeration system by using binary hydrocarbon mixture R601a/R1150 and ternary mixture R601a/R290/R1150. The aim is to explore and verify hydrocarbon refrigerants that can achieve lower energy consumption, thereby providing a scientific basis for the optimization of ultra-low temperature medical freezers. The experimental results show that both R601a/R1150 and R601a/R290/R1150 with a charge of 250 g could achieve the refrigeration temperature below −70 °C in a 568 L large volume vertical freezer. Comparing binary with ternary refrigerants, it is found that the addition of medium-boiling component R290 is beneficial to reduce the daily energy consumption. When the mass fraction of R601a/R1150 is 0.70/0.30, the lowest daily energy consumption for −70 °C is 9.06 kW h·24 h−1. When the mass fraction of the R601a/R290/R1150 is 0.70/0.10/0.20, the daily energy consumption is 8.42 kW h·24 h−1, which is 7.06 % lower than that when using the R601a/R1150. This indicates that careful selection of refrigerant components and composition optimization can lead to substantial energy savings. Furthermore, it is also observed that among these three components, the low-boiling component R1150 has the most significant influence on the system pressures and operating power, followed by R601a and R290.