The potential for new applications across the medical sector is vast. They range from external uses in treatment to effective cures.
Several polysaccharides currently show antiseptic properties making them very useful in the medical world. Chitosan has also shown an anti-clotting ability making it a potential candidate for wound dressings or gels. We would suggest the next step would be to create a bio-friendly gel that could be used during operations to prevent/stop bleeds more effectively than the current gauze approach.
It is believed we are well overdue a flu outbreak of pandemic levels we believe our research could lead to rapid vaccine production which would save millions in the event of an outbreak. - - This would be achieved by simple inspection of the virus to determine the type of polysaccharide required for a vaccine.
Blood types are distinguished solely by surface polysaccharides which produce a different surface signal. In the future we envisage a system where donor blood could be ‘masked’ to display the properties of acceptors blood. This would be achieved by creating a polysaccharide that could bind to the surface of the donor blood and display the same properties as the acceptor blood on the extreme surface thus passing as the host blood type. This method of masking could then be progressed to donor tissue and organs with possibility of entire body parts being transplanted.
Industrial applications for novel materials are endless, so having the ability to create new polysaccharides is particularly useful. Various properties are required to make a valuable material for industrial purposes. High impact materials are required for drill tips and other equipment - so a strong force produces an equally strong repulsion. Could this be possible with our polysaccharides? A bullet proof suit? Electrical properties are also important, could a polysaccharide be the next Graphene?..studied by Physicists and Bio-Scientists alike? A polysaccharide semiconductor could be used as a solar cell, producing green energy in the future.
Polysaccharides can already be used as an edible food glue to accomplish many different types of effects from standard assembly of food types to highly decorative pieces of food art. Along with its artistic capabilities there are also practical implications in the uses of polysaccharides in food. They can also offer applications in many other areas such as: thickeners, suspension agents, oxidation resistance, dehydration resistance, and extending the shelf life of the foodstuff.
In the future imagine if we could amplify the ability to preserve food... this would have a massive effect on global food shortages. Not only might it be possible to coat, or perhaps even grow, current “perishables” such as fruit and veg but the billion tons worth of food which is wasted each year could find itself ingested instead of buried.
With modernised countries overcoming the wasteful nature of today’s attitude, the food which is currently produced to sustain the demand could then be exported to nations who still struggle with producing sufficient quantities of food.
When extended space flight becomes a reality, consumable lifetime will be a serious issue. Therefore polysaccharide coating could provide a means to supply a space vessel with not only a sufficient amount of long lasting food but also provisions that are resistant to water loss, bacterial growth, and mutation by ionising radiation.
Creating unique uses for new materials is always exciting. These are a few that the Exeter iGEM team have come up with:
A self-healing metal coating would be scatch proof and therefore ideal for cars; bio-degradable plastic polysaccharides would be environmentally friendly and great for storage. Self-assembling brigdes with separate hydrophobic/hydrophilic domains could be a neccessity for the avid traveller of the future. These are just some possibilites of creating new polysaccharides!
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