Control of medium-chain-length PHA properties

控制中链长度 PHA 特性

• 批准号: 25469-2009
• 负责人: Ramsay, Bruce
• 金额: $ 1.46万
• 依托单位: Queen's University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2011-01-01 至 2012-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=474635
• 关键词: Control; medium; chain; length; PHA

This research focuses on methods to produce medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoates (MCL-PHAs) with controlled properties. MCL-PHAs are novel biodegradable elastomers produced by bacteria from renewable resources such as plant oils and sugars. MCL-PHAs are ideal for applications such as paper coating, biomedical implants and printing toners but they were not commercially available due to difficulties in their production. My previous Discovery Grant solved most of these problems by disproving prevailing dogma, thus allowing the development of a greatly simplified fermentation process. The present project aims at further improving this process and producing kg quantities of novel materials which can then be adequately characterized for the first time. The present research also aims to develop methods to control the rate of their degradation in water and/or the human body. My previous Discovery Grant demonstrated that these materials could be rendered bioactive by the covalent attachment of bioactive proteins to nanoparticles of MCL-PHA. The slow release of a model bioactive compound from bioactive MCL-PHA will be examined. MCL-PHAs owe their interesting elastomeric properties to crystalline cross-linking. Even tougher, more rubbery, forms of this material will be produced by covalent cross-linking and their biodegradability assessed. The overall objective of this research is to allow production of this class of water-resistant compostable thermoelastomers to become commercially feasible, thus adding another group of materials to the future "biorefinery"-based chemical industry.

本研究重点关注生产具有受控特性的中链长度聚羟基脂肪酸酯 (MCL-PHA) 的方法。 MCL-PHA 是由细菌从植物油和糖等可再生资源中产生的新型可生物降解弹性体。 MCL-PHA 非常适合纸张涂层、生物医学植入物和印刷碳粉等应用，但由于生产困难而无法商业化。我之前的发现资助通过反驳盛行的教条解决了大部分问题，从而允许开发大大简化的发酵过程。本项目旨在进一步改进该工艺并生产公斤数量的新型材料，然后首次对这些材料进行充分表征。本研究还旨在开发控制它们在水和/或人体中降解速度的方法。我之前的发现资助证明，通过将生物活性蛋白共价连接到 MCL-PHA 纳米颗粒上，可以使这些材料具有生物活性。将检查生物活性 MCL-PHA 模型生物活性化合物的缓慢释放。 MCL-PHA 的有趣弹性特性归功于结晶交联。这种材料甚至更坚韧、更有弹性，将通过共价交联生产，并评估其生物降解性。这项研究的总体目标是使此类防水可堆肥热弹性体的生产变得商业上可行，从而为未来基于“生物精炼”的化学工业添加另一组材料。