May 28 2008
The Polymer Technology Group, Inc., a preeminent biomaterials company, announced today that Shanger Wang, Ph.D., will report from the podium this week during the ‘8th World Biomaterials Congress’ in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. His presentation (“Thermoplastic Polycarbonate-Urethane with Surface-Active Alkylammonium Chloride End Groups: Antimicrobial Activity, Bulk and Surface Properties”) will include the characterization of a breakthrough polymeric biomaterial with permanently-bonded antimicrobial surface properties designed to reduce medical device-centered infection. PTG is also exhibiting at the conference (booth #5).
“The device industry has been challenged to produce polymeric biomaterials with built-in antimicrobial surface properties for reducing device-centered infection. But most approaches to date have used drug-eluting compounds or coatings that are eventually consumed. It is much more desirable to have easily processed biomaterials with good wet-strength and long-term efficacy without leachable additives, drugs or biocides,” said Bob Ward, CEO. “We believe we have an answer to this problem.
“Indeed, the results being presented by Dr. Wang demonstrate that very small amounts of biologically active end-groups can be permanently incorporated into a polymeric biomaterial during its synthesis,” added Ward. “The novelty here is that after extrusion or molding, the device ‘modifies its own surface’ because of the surface activity and self assembly of the novel end-groups. Antimicrobial groups concentrate in the surface where they are needed. For this reason secondary coating processes or treatments are not needed. This can reduce the cost of goods and manufacturing times while increasing yield.”
Dr. Wang will report that polyurethanes with surface-active alkylammonium chloride end-groups were successfully synthesized and their physical properties, surface chemistry and biocidal activities evaluated. The presence and self assembly of end-groups in the surface was confirmed by SFG (Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy). The polymers exhibit low water absorption, excellent strength and processability, high molecular weight, and effective contact-killing of Gram-positive bacteria relative to controls. Dr. Wang will also discuss how these modified TPCUs (Thermoplastic PolyCarbonate Urethanes) and polymers with other antimicrobial ‘self-assembling monomer end groups’ are currently being optimized by PTG for use in various biomedical applications.