Photocurable Coatings to Improve the Mechanical Properties of 3D Printable Expanding Foams.

Recent developments of highly expandable foaming pre-polymer resins for lithographic additive manufacturing have allowed for the creation of structures larger than a printer's build envelope. To fully utilize the capabilities of this technology, the mechanical properties of these foams must be improved. This manuscript presents one method for strengthening these lightweight polymeric structures via aerosol spray application of a high-strength, low-viscosity photocurable coating. This method is free from the reliance on often complex, large, or bulky on-site equipment ordinarily required by conventional high-strength spray coating. The newly formulated photocurable resin can be applied using an ordinary cordless paint sprayer and cured using sunlight in less than a minute, enabling the rapid production of large, load-bearing structures from a small volume of feedstock and low-cost portable equipment. A comprehensive screening process for resin formulations, detailed mechanical compression and tensile analysis of coated polymer structures, and an applied technical demonstration of the technology are described. The photocurable coating described herein greatly strengthens porous polymeric structures using a method that can be easily implemented.

Surface-Modified Melt Coextruded Nanofibers Enhance Blood Clotting In Vitro.

Blood loss causes an estimated 1.9 million deaths per year globally, making new methods to stop bleeding and promote clot formation immediately following injury paramount. The fabrication of functional hemostatic materials has the potential to save countless lives by limiting bleeding and promoting clot formation following an injury. This work describes the melt manufacturing of poly(ε-caprolactone) nanofibers and their chemical functionalization to produce highly scalable materials with enhanced blood clotting properties. The nanofibers are manufactured using a high throughput melt coextrusion method. Once isolated, the nanofibers are functionalized with polymers that promote blood clotting through surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization. The functional nanofibers described herein speed up the coagulation cascade and produce more robust blood clots, allowing for the potential use of these functional nonwoven mats as advanced bandages.

Dissolving Microneedle Delivery of a Prophylactic HPV Vaccine.

Prophylactic vaccines capable of preventing human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are still inaccessible to a vast majority of the global population due to their high cost and challenges related to multiple administrations performed in a medical setting. In an effort to improve distribution and administration, we have developed dissolvable microneedles loaded with a thermally stable HPV vaccine candidate consisting of Qß virus-like particles (VLPs) displaying a highly conserved epitope from the L2 protein of HPV (Qß-HPV). Polymeric microneedle delivery of Qß-HPV produces similar amounts of anti-HPV16 L2 IgG antibodies compared to traditional subcutaneous injection while delivering a much smaller amount of intradermal dose. However, a dose sparing effect was found. Furthermore, immunization yielded neutralizing antibody responses in a HPV pseudovirus assay. The vaccine candidate was confirmed to be stable at room temperature after storage for several months, potentially mitigating many of the challenges associated with cold-chain distribution. The ease of self-administration and minimal invasiveness of such microneedle patch vaccines may enable wide-scale distribution of the HPV vaccine and lead to higher patient compliance. The Qß VLP and its delivery technology is a plug-and-play system that could serve as a universal platform with a broad range of applications. Qß VLPs may be stockpiled for conjugation to a wide range of epitopes, which are then packaged and delivered directly to the patient via noninvasive microneedle patches. Such a system paves the way for rapid distribution and self-administration of vaccines.

COVID-19 vaccine development and a potential nanomaterial path forward.

The COVID-19 pandemic has infected millions of people with no clear signs of abatement owing to the high prevalence, long incubation period and lack of established treatments or vaccines. Vaccines are the most promising solution to mitigate new viral strains. The genome sequence and protein structure of the 2019-novel coronavirus (nCoV or SARS-CoV-2) were made available in record time, allowing the development of inactivated or attenuated viral vaccines along with subunit vaccines for prophylaxis and treatment. Nanotechnology benefits modern vaccine design since nanomaterials are ideal for antigen delivery, as adjuvants, and as mimics of viral structures. In fact, the first vaccine candidate launched into clinical trials is an mRNA vaccine delivered via lipid nanoparticles. To eradicate pandemics, present and future, a successful vaccine platform must enable rapid discovery, scalable manufacturing and global distribution. Here, we review current approaches to COVID-19 vaccine development and highlight the role of nanotechnology and advanced manufacturing.

Highly Expandable Foam for Lithographic 3D Printing.

In modern manufacturing, it is a widely accepted limitation that the parts patterned by an additive or subtractive manufacturing process (i.e., a lathe, mill, or 3D printer) must be smaller than the machine itself that produced them. Once such parts are manufactured, they can be postprocessed, fastened together, welded, or adhesively bonded to form larger structures. We have developed a foaming prepolymer resin for lithographic additive manufacturing, which can be expanded after printing to produce parts up to 40× larger than their original volume. This allows for the fabrication of structures significantly larger than the build volume of the 3D printer that produced them. Complex geometries comprised of porous foams have implications in technologically demanding fields such as architecture, aerospace, energy, and biomedicine. This manuscript presents a comprehensive screening process for resin formulations, detailed analysis of printing parameters, and observed mechanical properties of the 3D-printed foams.