Functional highly ordered mesoporous phosphate glasses prepared by sol-gel
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Surrey
Department Name: Chemistry
Abstract
Aims:
- To produce porous phosphate glass materials via the sol-gel route for the use in biomedical applications. The porosity will allow for drug loading and release.
- To explore other soft-chemistry routes to produce phosphate glasses.
- To explore different glass compositions by incorporating various metal ions into the glasses such as silver, copper and zinc. Many metal ions have been shown to play important roles in the wound healing and bone-production mechanisms and other ions such as silver have been presented as possessing antibacterial properties.
- To study the physical and chemical properties of glasses produced such as biocompatibility, antibacterial properties, dissolution, strength and chemical stability.
Methodology:
- Produce glasses with pores on the nanoscale with the use of surfactants as templating agents. The surfactants will be removed after production leaving pores.
- Porous scaffolds will be produced with the use of electrospinning. This will allow for a larger surface area and higher drug-loading capacities.
- To produce porous phosphate glass materials via the sol-gel route for the use in biomedical applications. The porosity will allow for drug loading and release.
- To explore other soft-chemistry routes to produce phosphate glasses.
- To explore different glass compositions by incorporating various metal ions into the glasses such as silver, copper and zinc. Many metal ions have been shown to play important roles in the wound healing and bone-production mechanisms and other ions such as silver have been presented as possessing antibacterial properties.
- To study the physical and chemical properties of glasses produced such as biocompatibility, antibacterial properties, dissolution, strength and chemical stability.
Methodology:
- Produce glasses with pores on the nanoscale with the use of surfactants as templating agents. The surfactants will be removed after production leaving pores.
- Porous scaffolds will be produced with the use of electrospinning. This will allow for a larger surface area and higher drug-loading capacities.
Organisations
- University of Surrey (Lead Research Organisation)
- QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON (Collaboration)
- Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (Collaboration)
- University College London (Collaboration)
- Hull York Medical School (Collaboration)
- ASTON UNIVERSITY (Collaboration)
- FOURTH STATE MEDICINE LTD (Collaboration)
- National Physical Laboratory (Collaboration)
- University of Cagliari (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF KENT (Collaboration)
- University of Warwick (Collaboration)
People |
ORCID iD |
| Daniela Carta (Primary Supervisor) | |
| BENJAMIN KYFFIN (Student) |
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP/N509772/1 | 01/10/2016 | 30/09/2021 | |||
| 1976273 | Studentship | EP/N509772/1 | 01/07/2017 | 30/09/2020 | BENJAMIN KYFFIN |
| Description | The new coacervation method for the production of glasses has been explored and has been employed to produce antimicrobial glasses for use in biomedical applications. Silver doped coacervate glasses have been primarily studied, with the study of the structure and their antimicrobial properties studied. The glasses exhibit good antimicrobial properties and have been shown to be similar in structure to other silver doped glasses prepared by the melt-quench method, a high-temperature, and often difficult to control method. Significant portions of this work were published in 2019 and further work is ongoing in order to understand the systems better, with a recent paper submitted for review on the atomic structural characteristics of these glasses. A paper was also published in 2020 on the production of coacervate derived glass fibres which had been prepared through electrospinning. The first synthesis of mesoporous phosphate glasses has also been performed. This is a significant leap in the field of biomedical research and was considered a great challenge due to synthetic difficulties. This work has been recently published and allows for the potential production of many different mesoporous materials. The study of doped mesoporous glasses has also been undertaken and a further paper has recently been submitted in the use of strontium doped mesoporous phosphate glasses. |
| Exploitation Route | The coacervation method has shown itself to be a versatile method for the production of phosphate glasses. Phosphate glasses have recently received a great deal of attention for the use in biomedical implantation for the treatment of damaged bone and soft tissue. This is because they are classed as "bioresorbable", meaning that they will slowly dissolve as the tissue heals releasing therapeutic agents as well as negating the need for follow up surgery is not necessary and therefore less likely to cause issues in the long-term. They have also shown themselves to be accepting of a wide variety of doping ions allowing for future research to be performed in order to produce glasses with ideal properties for the use in biomedical applications. The production of mesoporous phosphate glasses is a significant step in bioengineering and allows for a huge amount of future work into the production of glasses with particular properties such as pore size/shape, doping agents and dissolution properties/ drug loading capabilities. |
| Sectors | Chemicals,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
| Description | Capital Award Competition |
| Amount | £153,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/S017771/1 to University of Surrey |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 10/2018 |
| End | 03/2020 |
| Description | Doctoral College Studentship Award |
| Amount | £70,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Fourth State Medicine Ltd |
| Sector | Private |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 10/2018 |
| End | 10/2021 |
| Description | Impact Acceleration Account |
| Amount | £60,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2018 |
| End | 07/2019 |
| Title | A novel technique for production of mesoporous phosphate-based glasses |
| Description | A protocol for the synthesis of mesoporous antibacterial phosphate-based glasses containing silver, copper and zinc ions has been established. A WO patent has been filed 'mesoporous phosphate glass' published as WO2020/260892 |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Increased bioactivity of the glasses proved by acceleration of hydroxyapatite formation and fibroblast/osteoblastcell growth/ increase Tetracycline uptake/controlled release |
| URL | https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=WO2020260892 |
| Description | 4SM_LTD |
| Organisation | Fourth State Medicine Ltd |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Expertise in biomaterials/antibacterial synthesis and characterisation |
| Collaborator Contribution | Equipment access and expertise in plasma for wound healing. Plasma box for testing antibacterial efficacy of cold plasma alone and in combination with biomaterial coacervates |
| Impact | 4SM has half funded a PhD studentship (2018-2021) on the effect of plasma treatment on bacteria |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Aston Antimicrobial |
| Organisation | Aston University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Give expertise in phosphate glasses made via sol-gel and coacervation. Relationship antimicrobial structure-composition |
| Collaborator Contribution | They performed antimicrobial testing on our samples, provide access to their equipment and staff time |
| Impact | Multidisciplinary research chemistry / microbiologists Joint publication: https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TB02195G |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | FAU_biomaterials |
| Organisation | Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Privide expertise in the preparation of phosphate based glasses made via sol-gel and coacervation. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expertise in biomaterial glasses and controlled delivery of natural molecules. Staff time. testing bioactivity, cellular culture on our glasses |
| Impact | Joint application of an IAA ESPRC grant in January 2021: Phosphate-based glasses for controlled delivery of natural therapeutic molecules. FAU has given an in kind contribution of 7000 GBP. Outcome still to be announced |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | HYMS_Wound healing |
| Organisation | Hull York Medical School |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We are providing fibers scaffolds for wound healing dressings. Expertise in fibres fabrication |
| Collaborator Contribution | Access to medical school facilities, expertise in wound healing, provide contact with clinicians and medical stakeholders |
| Impact | Outcome from collaboration are in progress |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Kent_X-ray diffraction and absorption |
| Organisation | University of Kent |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | input on preparation of sol-gel phosphate glasses |
| Collaborator Contribution | Access to low angle X-ray diffraction facility expertise in amorphous system data analysis Assistance in synchrotron experiments |
| Impact | Joint publication https://doi.org/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.9b01896 |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | NPL_Ultrasound |
| Organisation | National Physical Laboratory |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We provided phosphate based glass nanospheres made via electrospraying for use as ultrasound contrast agents, expertise and staff time |
| Collaborator Contribution | NPL provided access to the ultrasound facilities, training of staff and expertise in ultrasound testing |
| Impact | joint manuscript in preparation |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Queen Mary London_Solid state NMR |
| Organisation | Queen Mary University of London |
| Department | School of Biological and Chemical Science QMUL |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Expertise on phosphate baseg glasses prepared via sol-gel and coacervation |
| Collaborator Contribution | Access to solid state NMR and technical support for 31P measurements |
| Impact | Multidisciplinary physics/chemistry 2 joint publications: https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2020.00249 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.9b01896 |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Structural Uni Cagliari |
| Organisation | University of Cagliari |
| Country | Italy |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Collaborative discussion on the comparison phosphate glasses and silicate glasses. We have provided phosphate systems for comparison and characterisation |
| Collaborator Contribution | Availability of transmission electron microscope and surface absorption instruments, staff time, technical expertise |
| Impact | manuscript in preparation |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | UCL_Dissolution Studies |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Department | Eastman Dental Institute |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Expertise in sol-gel and coacervate phosphate glasses |
| Collaborator Contribution | Access to ion chromatography, academic expertiese and technical support for dissolution studies of phosphate based glasses |
| Impact | multidsciplinary chemistry-biomaterials Joint publications: https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2020.00249 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.9b01896 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.9b01291 |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Warwick NMR |
| Organisation | University of Warwick |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We have provided novel phosphate based materials for a novel structural study based on solid state NMR |
| Collaborator Contribution | They gave access to state of the art NMR facilities (EPSRC hub) and staff time/expertise |
| Impact | This is an interdisciplinary collaboration between Department of Physics (Warwick) and Department of Chemistry (Surrey) We have published a join article https://doi.org/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.9b01291 |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Warwick University_MAS NMR |
| Organisation | University of Warwick |
| Department | Department of Physics |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Expertise in sol-gel and coacervate made phosphate glasses |
| Collaborator Contribution | Access to MAS NMR equipment and technical support |
| Impact | Multidisciplinary chemistry-physics Joint publication https://doi.org/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.9b01291 |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Title | MESOPOROUS PHOSPHATE BASED GLASS |
| Description | The disclosure provides a method of producing a mesoporous phosphate-based glass. The method comprises (a) contacting a phosphate with an alcohol and/or a glycol ether to create a reaction mixture; (b) contacting the reaction mixture with alkali metal cations and/or alkaline earth metal cations; (c) contacting the alcohol, the glycol ether or the reaction mixture with a surfactant, wherein the surfactant is configured to provide channel-like pores in the resultant mesoporous phosphate-based glass; (d) allowing the reaction mixture to gel; and (e) calcinating the gel to obtain the mesoporous phosphate-based glass. |
| IP Reference | WO2020260892 |
| Protection | Patent application published |
| Year Protection Granted | 2020 |
| Licensed | No |
| Impact | The publication of the IP has paved the way for further links/collaborations Hull York Medical School (HYWS). We are currently testing more specific molecules for controlled release including natural products and specific antibacterial ions for wound healing. Having observed very promising results, we expect the involvement of industrial partners in the next month. |