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

在缺乏有效的疫苗和抗病毒药物的情况下，迫切需要屏障和消毒技术来保护高危个人免受SARS-CoV-2感染和防止社区传播。联盟这笔赠款的目标是开发一种杀毒生物材料涂层，这种涂层可以涂在表面或结合到个人防护装备(PPE)中，以防止呼吸道病毒。甲壳素及其衍生物等天然生物聚合物可以加入许多产品中，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具有经验，他们与TerraVerdae Bioworks(TVB)合作，确定他们的改性壳聚糖生物聚合物技术的抗病毒潜力。具体地说，该团队将：(1)阐明化学修饰壳聚糖抗冠状病毒的作用机制；(2)开发和测试用作表面涂层喷雾剂的化学修饰壳聚糖的配方，并评估这些喷雾剂在不同表面上的抗病毒特性的持久性。到目前为止，在新斯科舍省新冠肺炎健康研究联盟和新斯科舍省研究中心的资助下，该团队一直专注于建立冠状病毒研究能力，这使其在直接测试无线电视生物材料的抗病毒性能方面处于有利地位。这个由Alliance Grant支持的项目将提供有关化学修饰的壳聚糖对冠状病毒的抗病毒效力和半衰期的可行信息，TVB计划利用这些信息支持持久性洗手液以及其他后续技术的开发，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、涂层、粘合剂和其他高性能生物塑料。

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.