Fungal Attachment-Resistant Polymers for the Additive Manufacture of Medical Devices

Yong, Ling Xin; Sefton, Joseph; Vallières, Cindy; Rance, Graham A.; Hill, Jordan; Cuzzucoli Crucitti, Valentina; Dundas, Adam A.; Rose, Felicity R. A. J.; Alexander, Morgan R.; Wildman, Ricky; He, Yinfeng; Avery, Simon V.; Irvine, Derek J.

Abstract

This study reports the development of the first copolymer material that (i) is resistant to fungal attachment and hence biofilm formation, (ii) operates via a nonkilling mechanism, i.e., avoids the use of antifungal actives and the emergence of fungal resistance, (iii) exhibits sufficient elasticity for use in flexible medical devices, and (iv) is suitable for 3D printing (3DP), enabling the production of safer, personalized medical devices. Candida albicans (C. albicans) can form biofilms on in-dwelling medical devices, leading to potentially fatal fungal infections in the human host. Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) is a common material used for the manufacture of medical devices, such as voice prostheses, but it is prone to microbial attachment. Therefore, to deliver a fungal-resistant polymer with key physical properties similar to PDMS (e.g., flexibility), eight homopolymers and 30 subsequent copolymers with varying glass transition temperatures (Tg) and fungal antiattachment properties were synthesized and their materials/processing properties studied. Of the copolymers produced, triethylene glycol methyl ether methacrylate (TEGMA) copolymerized with (r)-α-acryloyloxy-β,β-dimethyl-γ-butyrolactone (AODMBA) at a 40:60 copolymer ratio was found to be the most promising candidate by meeting all of the above criteria. This included demonstrating the capability to successfully undergo 3DP by material jetting, via the printing of a voice prosthesis valve-flap using the selected copolymer.

Citation

Yong, L. X., Sefton, J., Vallières, C., Rance, G. A., Hill, J., Cuzzucoli Crucitti, V., Dundas, A. A., Rose, F. R. A. J., Alexander, M. R., Wildman, R., He, Y., Avery, S. V., & Irvine, D. J. (2024). Fungal Attachment-Resistant Polymers for the Additive Manufacture of Medical Devices. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 16(40), 54508–54519. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c04833

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 12, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Sep 30, 2024
• Publication Date: Oct 9, 2024
• Deposit Date: Mar 3, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 3, 2025
• Journal: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
• Print ISSN: 1944-8244
• Electronic ISSN: 1944-8252
• Publisher: American Chemical Society
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 16
• Issue: 40
• Pages: 54508–54519
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c04833
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/40290562
• Publisher URL: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsami.4c04833