Controlling and predicting release of AMC-109 from biodegradable aliphatic polyesters for antimicrobial medical devices

The project aims to combat infections that occur during medical treatment, known as healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). These infections can cause significant harm to patients and healthcare personnel, as well as increase the spread of antibiotic resistance. Amicoat has developed an antimicrobial compound called AMC-109, which is inspired by nature and has been thoroughly studied over the past ten years. The goal is to integrate AMC-109 into medical devices to reduce the incidence of HAIs. The project focuses on controlling the release of AMC-109 from biodegradable aliphatic polyesters, which are an important material class for medical devices. Currently, Amicoat has managed to introduce AMC-109 into such materials, but better control of the release is desired. The main objective of the project is to understand how controlled release of AMC-109 can be achieved to extend the antimicrobial lifespan of medical devices. This will be accomplished by measuring, modeling, and predicting the long-term release and antimicrobial effect of AMC-109 from aliphatic polyester-based materials for use in medical devices. The project will also explore the encapsulation potential of AMC-109 in aliphatic polyesters and demonstrate the release-determining properties for use in medical devices. The goal is to establish a library of materials that can be tailored to specific application needs. The results from the project will be published and used to design antimicrobial products based on biodegradable polymers, which will help Amicoat attract new customers and reduce the incidence of HAIs.

The project addresses the need to reduce healthcare associated infections and is a collaboration between Amicoat AS, Chalmers University of Technology and RISE. The focus of the project is the encapsulation and controlled release of Amicoat's antimicrobial compound, AMC-109, from biodegradable aliphatic polyesters for medical devices. The project will involve encapsulating AMC-109 in into aliphatic polyesters, and incorporating them into various medical device prototypes, such as foams, nonwovens, coatings, and gels. The project will also measure, model, and predict the release and antimicrobial effect of AMC-109 from the microcapsules and the prototypes, using different analytical and experimental methods. If granted, the project would allow Amicoat to strengthen it’s competence allowing us to improve our abilities in enabling our customers to provide the world with antimicrobial medical devices and reduce the burden of healthcare associated infections.