A Polish research team has developed a bioactive material containing chitosan fibres to be used in dressings, and manufactured as a composite fibrous material of layered structure. It consists of a biologically inert layer of polypropylene non-woven and a layer, deposited onto it by paper making technique, which contains bioactive chitosan fibres together with polyolefin fibres and fibrids. They are looking partners for collaboration.

The technology of two-layered composite material was developed on pilot-plant scale, in which the outer bioactive layer contains the chitosan fibres stimulating the process of wound healing and cuticularisation. The bioactive layer is formed from slurry of chitosan fibres, polypropylene fibres and polyolefin fibrids dispersed in water, directly on a ready-made polypropylene non-woven that is a filtering medium in the forming process and a carrier of the bioactive layer. The two layers are combined together in a hydrodynamic and thermal processing. The bioactivity of the dressing material is attained by using the chitosan fibres of a defined and controlled molecular weight and suitable deacetylation degree. The chemical purity of the material is obtained by:
- using never-dried chitosan fibres, with no additional finish
- using hydrodynamic and thermal processing to combine the layers together, with no additional binders
- using demineralised water

Innovative Aspects:
The technology is unique because of the method for manufacturing the composite material: the use of never-dried cut chitosan fibres specially prepared for the purpose and possessing a defined degree of polymerisation (molecular weight) and deacetylation.

Main Advantages:
The properties of the composite material for dressing, manufactured with the use of the developed technology, are reproducible due to the controlled bioactivity of the chitosan fibres. Medical tests have shown that the composite material has bacteriostatic and bactericidal activities and meets requirements for dressing materials being in direct contact with a wound such as:
- lack of hemolytic activity
- lack of cytotoxic activity on fibroblasts of mice
- lack of irritative activity in the endodermal area

• Design and Modelling / Prototypes
• Paper technology
• Rubber
• Textiles Technology
• Pharmaceutical Products / Drugs

• Materials technology
• Medicine, health
• Pharmaceutical/Comestics

• Other therapeutic (including defibrillators)

• Joint venture agreement
• License agreement
• Manufacturing agreement (Subcontracting & Co-contracting)
• Financial resources