Droplet Microfluidic Optimisation Using Micropipette Characterisation of Bio-Instructive Polymeric Surfactants

Predictive Molecular Design and Structure-Property Validation of Novel Terpene-Based, Sustainably Sourced Bacterial Biofilm-Resistant Materials

Presented in this work is the use of a molecular descriptor, termed the α parameter, to aid in the design of a series of novel, terpene-based, and sustainable polymers that were resistant to biofilm formation by the model bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. To achieve this, the potential of a range of recently reported, terpene-derived monomers to deliver biofilm resistance when polymerized was both predicted and ranked by the application of the α parameter to key features in their molecular structures. These monomers were derived from commercially available terpenes (i.e., α-pinene, β-pinene, and carvone), and the prediction of the biofilm resistance properties of the resultant novel (meth)acrylate polymers was confirmed using a combination of high-throughput polymerization screening (in a microarray format) and in vitro testing. Furthermore, monomers, which both exhibited the highest predicted biofilm anti-biofilm behavior and required less than two synthetic stages to be generated, were scaled-up and successfully printed using an inkjet "valve-based" 3D printer. Also, these materials were used to produce polymeric surfactants that were successfully used in microfluidic processing to create microparticles that possessed bio-instructive surfaces. As part of the up-scaling process, a novel rearrangement was observed in a proposed single-step synthesis of α-terpinyl methacrylate via methacryloxylation, which resulted in isolation of an isobornyl-bornyl methacrylate monomer mixture, and the resultant copolymer was also shown to be bacterial attachment-resistant. As there has been great interest in the current literature upon the adoption of these novel terpene-based polymers as green replacements for petrochemical-derived plastics, these observations have significant potential to produce new bio-resistant coatings, packaging materials, fibers, medical devices, etc.

Microparticles Decorated with Cell-Instructive Surface Chemistries Actively Promote Wound Healing

Wound healing is a complex biological process involving close crosstalk between various cell types. Dysregulation in any of these processes, such as in diabetic wounds, results in chronic nonhealing wounds. Fibroblasts are a critical cell type involved in the formation of granulation tissue, essential for effective wound healing. 315 different polymer surfaces are screened to identify candidates which actively drive fibroblasts toward either pro- or antiproliferative functional phenotypes. Fibroblast-instructive chemistries are identified, which are synthesized into surfactants to fabricate easy to administer microparticles for direct application to diabetic wounds. The pro-proliferative microfluidic derived particles are able to successfully promote neovascularization, granulation tissue formation, and wound closure after a single application to the wound bed. These active novel bio-instructive microparticles show great potential as a route to reducing the burden of chronic wounds.

Microfluidic Systems For Manufacturing of Microparticle-Based Drug-Delivery Systems: Design, Construction, and Operation

Particles synthesized from biodegradable polymers hold great potential as controlled drug delivery systems. Continuous flow platforms based on microfluidics offer attractive advantages over conventional batch-emulsification techniques for the scalable fabrication of drug-loaded particles with controlled physicochemical properties. However, widespread utilization of microfluidic technologies for the manufacturing of drug-loaded particles has been hindered largely by the lack of practical guidelines toward cost-effective development and reliable operation of microfluidic systems. Here, we present a framework for rational design and construction of microfluidic systems using commercially available components for high-throughput production of uniform biodegradable particles encapsulating drugs. We also demonstrate successful implementation of this framework to devise a robust microfluidic system that is capable of producing drug-carrying particles with desired characteristics. The guidelines provided in this study will likely help broaden the applicability of microfluidic technologies for the synthesis of high-quality, drug-loaded biodegradable particles.