Chitin biopolymer derivatives as antiviral long-lasting surface coatings, functional films and PPE

在缺乏有效疫苗和抗病毒药物的情况下，迫切需要屏障和消毒技术，以保护高风险个体免受SARS-CoV-2感染，并防止社区传播。该联盟赠款的目标是开发一种可用于表面或纳入个人防护设备（PPE）以防止呼吸道病毒的杀病毒生物材料涂层。天然生物聚合物，如甲壳素及其衍生物，可用于许多产品中，并具有良好的抗病毒和抗微生物活性。该团队由达尔豪西大学和爱德华王子岛大学的病毒学家组成，他们在研究天然产品的抗病毒特性方面有经验，他们与TerraVerdae Bioworks（TVB）合作，以确定其改性壳聚糖生物聚合物技术的抗病毒潜力。具体而言，该小组将：（1）阐明化学改性壳聚糖对抗冠状病毒的抗病毒作用机制;以及（2）开发和测试用于将化学改性壳聚糖作为表面涂层喷雾剂递送的制剂，并评估这些喷雾剂在不同表面上的抗病毒特性的持久性。迄今为止，该团队一直专注于在新斯科舍省COVID-19健康研究联盟和新斯科舍省赠款下建立冠状病毒研究能力，这使其处于直接测试TVB生物材料抗病毒特性的有利地位。这个由Alliance Grant资助的项目将产生有关化学改性壳聚糖抗冠状病毒的抗病毒效力和半衰期的可操作信息，TVB计划使用这些信息来支持开发持久性洗手液以及其他后续技术，这些技术利用生物聚合物的粘合特性将抗病毒活性赋予生物塑料薄膜，涂料，粘合剂和其他性能生物塑料。

In the absence of effective vaccines and antivirals, there is an outstanding need for barrier and disinfectant technologies to protect high-risk individuals from SARS-CoV-2 infection and prevent community transmission. The goal of this Alliance grant is to develop a virucidal biomaterial coating that can be applied to surfaces or incorporated into personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect from respiratory viruses. Natural biopolymers like chitin and derivatives can be incorporated into many products and have well-documented antiviral and antimicrobial activity. The team, comprising Dalhousie University and University of Prince Edward Island virologists with experience in studying the antiviral properties of natural products, have engaged with TerraVerdae Bioworks (TVB) to determine the antiviral potential of their modified chitosan biopolymer technology. Specifically, this team will: (1) Elucidate the anti-viral mechanism of action of chemically-modified chitosan against coronaviruses; and (2) Develop and test formulations for delivery of the chemically-modified chitosan as a surface coating spray and assess the persistence of the antiviral properties of these sprays on different surfaces. To date, the team has been focused on building up coronavirus research capacity with the support of grants from Nova Scotia COVID-19 Health Research Coalition and Research Nova Scotia, which put it in a strong position to directly test the antiviral properties of TVB biomaterials. This Alliance Grant-supported project will yield actionable information about the antiviral potency and half-life of chemically-modified chitosan against coronaviruses, which TVB plans to use to support the development of a persistent hand-sanitizer as well as other follow-on technologies that leverage the adhesive properties of biopolymers to confer antiviral activity into bioplastic films, coatings, adhesives and other performance bioplastics.