I-Corps: A physicochemical method for improving microorganism viability during manufacturing and storage

I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发技术，以提高生产过程中微生物的生存能力和稳定性，从而使益生菌在食品、补充剂、化妆品、个人护理产品、动物饲料、农业和/或治疗行业中的可用性和功效成为可能。目前益生菌的加工方法会引起显著的细胞应激并导致细胞死亡，从而限制了益生菌的功效和商业上可用的益生菌种类的数量。这一创新可能使目前的生产线无需昂贵的设备改造就能生产新型益生菌，并将新的有益物种推向市场。许多细菌物种已被确定为治疗许多胃肠道疾病（例如，克罗恩病、溃疡性结肠炎、结直肠癌）、改善人类和动物健康以及提高作物产量的靶点。例如，在牲畜中使用益生菌可以促进生长并减少抗生素的使用。这一创新可能为将这些细菌靶点推向市场提供一种安全、经济的方法。这个I-Corps项目是基于可用于保护细胞的封装技术的发展。有益活微生物商业化的一个主要瓶颈是制造和储存。当前的工艺引起显著的热、剪切、渗透和氧化应激，影响微生物的生存能力。目前用于提高活性的保护策略包括添加保护剂、控制处理参数和在干燥前对微生物进行预应力。提出的技术使用自组装的无机-有机混合涂层在制造过程中保护微生物。这种材料具有生物相容性，渗透性，热稳定性和机械稳定性，ph响应性，功能化，可作为活性氧（ROS）清除剂，并且由公认的安全（GRAS）成分制成。先前的研究已经证明，这种材料可以包裹住活细胞，并赋予细胞保护特性（例如，抵抗紫外线辐射、裂解酶和银纳米颗粒），增强膜的杨氏模量，抵抗蛋白酶，增加抗氧化能力，这有利于微生物在压力下的稳定性。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to develop technology to improve the viability and stability of microorganisms during manufacturing and thus enable the availability and efficacy of probiotics for use in the food, supplements, cosmetics, personal care products, animal feed, agriculture, and/or therapeutic industries. Current processing methods of probiotics cause significant cellular stresses and result in cell death, consequently limiting the efficacy and the number of probiotic species commercially available. This innovation may enable current production lines to manufacture novel probiotics without the need for costly equipment modifications and for new, beneficial species to be brought to market. Many bacteria species have been identified as targets for therapeutic use in a number of gastrointestinal disorders (e.g., Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, colorectal cancer), for improved wellness in humans and animals, and for enhanced crop production. For example, the use of probiotics in livestock can improve growth and mitigate the use of antibiotics. The innovation may provide a safe and cost-effective method to bring these bacterial targets to market.This I-Corps project is based on an the development of encapsulation technology that may be applied to protect cells. A major bottleneck in the commercialization of beneficial living microorganisms is manufacturing and storage. Current processes cause significant thermal, shear, osmotic, and oxidative stresses that impact the viability of microorganisms. Protection strategies currently used to enhance viability include addition of protective agents, controlling processing parameters, and prestressing the microorganisms prior to drying. The proposed technology uses a self-assembling, inorganic-organic hybrid coating for the protection of microorganisms during manufacturing. This material is biocompatible, permeable, thermally and mechanically stable, pH-responsive, functionalizable, acts as a reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger, and is made from generally recognized as safe (GRAS) ingredients. Previous work has demonstrated that this material can coat living cells and impart cytoprotective qualities (e.g., against UV radiation, lytic enzymes, and silver nanoparticles), enhance the Young’s modulus of the membrane, resist proteases, and increase antioxidant capacity, which benefits the stability of the microorganisms under stress.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.