Page 52 - Plastics News October 2021

TECHNoLoGY

New Polymer Coating For Blood Vessels Producing Apparel

Reduces Rejection Of Transplanted Organs From Waste Oil

adiciGroup, along with its research
Rcentres and universities under the
aegis of its Ulysses project have worked
on a research to produce apparels
from waste oil. A pioneering objective
for the first time, to demonstrate the
feasibility of industrial-scale production
of polyamides (nylon) starting from bio
adipic acid obtained from renewable
raw materials, including waste oil and
by-products of the oil industry. The
research was conducted through the
Ulysses project and experimentation
was performed in collaboration with
research centres and universities. The
esearchers at the University of polymer to mimic these sugars and ULYSSES project focused on three
RBritish Columbia have found a way developed a chemical process for main areas of research, all of which
to reduce organ rejection following a applying it to the blood vessels. He
transplant by using a special polymer worked with UBC chemistry professor had the same general approaches:
to coat blood vessels on the organ Dr. Stephen Withers and the study's firstly, the experimental processes
to be transplanted. The polymer, co-lead authors, PhD candidate Daniel developed within the Ulysses project
developed by UBC medicine professor Luo and recent chemistry PhD Dr. Erika framework were industrialization
Dr. Jayachandran Kizhakkedathu and his Siren. Dr. Siren's thinking on cell-surface oriented; secondly, they had a strong
team at the Centre for Blood Research engineering had been inspired by a visit innovative component; and, lastly,
and Life Sciences Institute, substantially to a BC Transplant facility."I remember they implemented the principles of
diminished rejection of transplants in seeing an organ sitting in a solution and sustainability and the circular economy
mice when tested by collaborators at SFU thinking, 'Here's a perfect window to in real-world applications. Potential
and Northwestern University."We're engineer something right,'" Dr. Siren application sectors for the process
hopeful that this breakthrough will recalled. "There aren't a lot of situations
one day improve quality of life for where you've got this beautiful four-hour
transplant patients and improve the window where the organ is outside the
lifespan of transplanted organs," said body, and you can directly engineer it
Dr. Kizhakkedathu. The discovery has for therapeutic benefit." The work of
the potential to eliminate the need for Simon Fraser University's Dr. Jonathan
drugs typically with serious side effects Choy and Winnie Enns confirmed that
on which transplant recipients rely to a mouse artery, coated in this way and
prevent their immune systems from then transplanted, would exhibit strong,
attacking a new organ as a foreign long-term resistance to inflammation
object. Blood vessels in our organs are and rejection. Dr. Caigan Du of UBC
protected with a coating of special types and Dr. Jenny Zhang of Northwestern
of sugars that suppress the immune University then got similar results from and products are textile/fashion,
system's reaction, but in the process of a kidney transplant between mice. Dr. automotive, design, electrical and
procuring organs for transplantation, Megan Levings of UBC and the BC electronics. Partial funding was received
these sugars are damaged and no longer Children's Hospital Research Institute from the Region of Piedmont, within
able to transmit their message." Dr. firmed up the findings using new- the scope of the “Call for Proposals IR2
Kizhakkedathu's team synthesized a generation immune cells. -Industrialization of research result.

52 PLASTICS NEWS OCTOBER 2021 53 PLASTICS NEWS OCTOBER 2021