The Synthesis and Development of Sugar-Derived Polymers for Application in Healthcare Technologies

该项目将研究来源于糖的聚合物是否可以用作医疗设备中的结构和/或传感元件。由于目前缺乏可靠、廉价和可持续的设备用于许多医疗条件的即时诊断（POC），因此将可再生和可生物降解的聚合物应用到此类设备中是可取的。该项目将回答的主要问题是：如何修饰糖衍生的聚合物，以及这如何影响其结构和性能？糖衍生聚合物的结构是什么？如何使用计算建模来研究糖衍生聚合物的结构和潜在功能？糖衍生聚合物如何用于医疗器械？糖衍生聚合物如何用作传感元件？为了回答这些问题，现有的和新的糖衍生聚合物将被开发和修改，并将研究它们在先进医疗器械中的适用性。使用糖作为聚合物的平台是有益的，因为它们可以在聚合之前和之后容易地官能化。这种灵活性将用于研究在聚合物主链内安装能够特异性识别生物标志物的部分的可能性。然后，将对这些材料进行评估，以将其纳入可用于医疗保健领域一系列应用的传感或POC设备中。例如，在诊断感染以解决抗菌素耐药性或早期发现癌症和转移方面。还将研究在该项目期间使用模拟技术，包括量子力学，分子动力学和蒙特卡罗相结合的聚合物的计算建模。计算建模的目的是研究将在实验室中制备的糖衍生聚合物的本体和溶液结构，这是迄今为止未知的。合成的聚合物的性能也将被建模。这将有助于评估它们在医疗保健应用中的潜力。例如，将使用分子动力学模拟来研究糖衍生聚合物用于生物传感的功效。这些模拟将用于研究聚合物和感兴趣的生物分子之间的相互作用。最终的目标是将合成的聚合物纳入生物传感器等设备中，这将使它们能够应用于医疗保健技术。因此，该项目的主要目标是：合成来自可再生原料的功能化单体使用各种技术进行后续聚合以获得生物衍生聚合物对此类聚合物进行完整的热、机械和物理表征进一步开发和功能化单体和聚合物，使其能够针对传感应用进行定制。实现这一目标的工作将包括用表位、小有机分子或与金属中心协调的聚合物主链的功能化合成聚合物的计算建模将糖衍生聚合物纳入原型传感设备中利用可再生资源开发功能性聚合物将解决商品塑料对化石燃料的依赖及其在环境中的持久性。除此之外，这些聚合物在医疗保健技术中的应用将满足对当前床旁诊断设备的可持续来源替代品的需求。聚合物的潜在生物降解性也可能允许在医疗废物处置可能成为污染源的欠发达医疗保健系统中使用这些器械。这与EPSRC资助的研究的医疗保健技术主题相一致，该主题旨在提高效率，同时最大限度地减少诊断技术的侵入性。

This project will investigate whether polymers derived from sugars can be employed as structural and/or sensing elements within healthcare devices. The application of renewable and biodegradable polymers into such devices is desirable due to the lack of reliable, inexpensive and sustainable devices currently available for point of care (POC) diagnosis of many medical conditions.The main questions that will be answered by this project are:How can sugar-derived polymers be modified, and how does this affect their structure and properties?What are the structures of sugar-derived polymers?How can computational modelling be used to investigate the structure and potential functions of sugar-derived polymers?How can sugar-derived polymer be used within healthcare devices?How can sugar-derived polymers be used as sensing element?To answer these questions existing and novel sugar-derived polymers will be developed and modified, and their applicability into advanced healthcare devices will be investigated. Using sugars as a platform for polymers is beneficial as they can be easily functionalized both prior to and after polymerization. This flexibility will be used to investigate the possibility of installing moieties within the polymer backbone that are capable of the specific recognition of biomarkers. These materials will then be evaluated for their incorporation into sensing or POC devices that could be used for a range of applications within healthcare. For example, in the diagnosis of infections to tackle antimicrobial resistance or for the early detection of cancer and metastasis. Computational modelling of the polymers made during this project, using a combination of simulation techniques, including quantum mechanics, molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo, will also be investigated. The aim of the computational modelling is to investigate the bulk and solution structures of the sugar-derived polymers that will be made in the laboratory, which are as yet unknown. The properties of the synthesised polymers will also be modelled. This will help evaluate their potential to be used in healthcare applications. For example, the efficacy of sugar-derived polymer for bio sensing will be investigated using molecular dynamic simulations. These simulations will be used to investigate the interactions between the polymers and biomolecules of interest. The final goal will be to incorporate the synthesised polymers in devices, such as biosensors, which will enable their application in healthcare technologies. Therefore, the main objectives of this project are:The synthesis of functionalised monomers derived from renewable feedstocksSubsequent polymerisation using various techniques to obtain bio-derived polymersComplete thermal, mechanical and physical characterisation of such polymersFurther development and functionalisation of monomers and polymers, allowing them to be tailored towards sensing applications. Work towards this aim will include functionalising the polymer backbone with epitopes, small organic molecules, or co-ordinating to metal centresComputational modelling of the as-synthesised polymersThe incorporation of sugar-derived polymers into prototype sensing devicesThe development of functional polymers from renewable resources will tackle the reliance of commodity plastics on fossil fuels and their persistence in the environment. In addition to this, the application of these polymers into healthcare technologies will fulfil the need for sustainably sourced alternatives to current point-of-care diagnostic devices. The potential biodegradability of polymers may also allow the use of these devices in less developed healthcare systems where disposal of medical waste can be a source of pollution. This aligns with the Healthcare Technologies theme of EPSRC funded research which aims to enhance efficiency, while minimising the invasive nature of diagnostic technologies.