Function-driven design of new degradable polymers - Toward surface eroding polyesters with programmed performance and service lifetime

A new EU regulation for medical devices comes into action in May 2020.

One of the main requirement is to prove a safe and controlled performance of the devices in the physiological environment throughout the service lifetime.

In fact, when degradable polymers, such as aliphatic polyesters, are utilized for medical devices’ fabrication, the lack of control of material performance in the physiological environment, the long-time gap between loss of mechanical integrity and total resorption, due to a bulk erosion process, cause adverse effects in the body.The project provides solutions to such challenges.

The ground breaking concept is to prove that by a rational design of the primary structure and sequence-control is it possible to suppress the bulk and uncontrolled erosion process and unlock the design of surface eroding polyesters.

Three strategies are pursued to design the primary macromolecular structure of degradable copolymers and encode at the synthesis step specific and sequence-dependent degradability functions.

The target is to provide a new generation of polyesters for medical applications having superior performance than the currently utilized, a predictable and controlled outcome of their long-term properties and a surface erosion profile matching the application.The project lasts 4-years and 4 milestones should be reached.

The proponent is the main responsible for planning and designing of the activities. A postdoc and master students will take part in the project.