The RIKEN team around Keiji NUMATA copolymerized a PHBVDB bioplastic from 3 hydroxybutyricacid, 3-hydroxyvaleric acid and a small amoutn of dihydroxybutanoic acid, resulting in a rather hydrophilic surface and high elasticity. Human mesenchymal stem cells grown on this materials did not show any abnormal cell morphology, and dead cells were not observed after several days of cell expansion. It is expected that PHBVDB may lead to a new biomaterial in tissue engineering, and it will be attemptec to adjust further hydrophilicity of PHBVDB, physical properties such as cell adhesion and biodegradability.
RIKEN news release, Sept. 1, 2016
RIKEN team explores PHB bioplastics for tissue engineering