Tailored polyhydroxyalcanoates to tune medical device bioresorption – PHAMOUS

The objective of the PHAMOUS project is the diversification and optimization of the biosynthesis of original polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) and their valorization in healthcare applications for the development of innovative medical devices. To achieve these objectives, the PHAMOUS project will gather the knowledge and know-how of three complementary teams: IRDL with PHA biosynthesis expertise, IBMM with biomaterial modification expertise and CEA with strong experience in technology transfer in the medical field.
The tailor-made production of functional PHA by biotechnology as well as their a posteriori chemical modification by original methods, will make possible the design of new macromolecular architectures. The ambition will be focused on the diversification of PHA structures by playing on the nature and originality of the substrates used as biosynthesis precursors. The subsequent grafting of water-soluble polymers such as oligo(ethylene glycol), peptides of interest or (oligo)saccharides (heparin, sialic acids) will be studied in order to obtain new and original PHA-based biomaterials with suitable properties for biomedical applications. This approach, coupling biotechnology and chemistry methods, constitutes an extremely innovative path for achieving PHA with new structures and tunable properties. These multi-functional polymers will constitute building blocks for the design of two types of medical devices that will be manufactured by two innovative process: 3D-printed bronchial stents and porous patches of electrospun PHA fibers for tissue engineering and (bio)sensor design.