In this rubric we present you scientific news from the world of chitin and chitosan. Monthly you can find recent publications. We hope to arouse your interest in this biopolymer or to help you out. If you have any comments or if you do chitin or chitosan research and you want to publish your article on this page,
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150 Years ago C. Rouget discovered the biopolymer chitosan when cooking chitin in a base. Ever since, the interest in this polymer is increasing constantly. On the one hand new application fields are developed over and over again. On the other hand the primary material chitin is a renewable resource, which is generated as by-product in huge annual quantities in food-industry.
Chitosan - NanoBioSaccharides brightens up the darkNanoBioSaccharides - a project that aimed to unravel the properties of an apparent panacea is now concluded. During the last three years over 600 researchers from seven nations, managed by Prof. Dr. Bruno Moerschbacher of the University of Muenster dedicated their time to study the striking abilities of Chitosan and its application in human medicine. In Nanobiotechnology a breakthrough is expected, that will lead to significant changes on the one hand in the field of the delivery of medical bio-materials, drugs and genes and on the other hand in the area of cell- and tissue-engineering.
The new edition of the Chitin & Chitosan – Global Strategic Business Report analyses the world market of chitin, chitosan and chitosan derivates from different points of view. They distinguish between the markets and the various application areas of chitosan like cosmetics, healthcare and medicine, food and beverages or biotechnology.
American start-up for chitosan wound care solutions PhD students in Maryland (University of Maryland and Robert H. Smith School of Business) found their own start-up to develop blood-clotting products. Already two products are in a development phase. A surgical spray and a sponge, both based on chitosan.
Dr. Thomas Freier
Tissue engineering is a rapidly growing interdisciplinary field of research focused on the development of vital autologous tissue through the use of a combination of biomaterials, cells, and bioactive molecules, for the purposes of repairing damaged or diseased tissue and organs. The future tissue engineering market potential has been estimated at 70 billion Euro. Due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability, together with its specific interactions with components of the extracellular matrix and growth factors, chitosan has emerged as exceptionally promising material for various tissue engineering applications, including skin, nerve, bone, and cartilage repair applications.
Have a look at published papers in march 2009.