Lia Calise ENGW3302 Tom Akbari Unit 1 Final Draft September 19, 2013 P4HB: Polymer of the Future

Medical Application of poly-4-hydroxybutyrate: A Strong Flexible Absorbable Biomaterial is an article taken from the Biochemical Engineering Journal. It was written by David P. Martin and Simon F. Williams, two men who are well respected in the bioengineering field. This article was written to inform the engineering community of a recent discovery of new polymer chemistry and to provide specific applications for the use of the new polymer. Poly-4hydroxybutyrate (P4HB) is a biodegradable polymer, making it useful in various medical devices where patient chronic pain is of concern. P4HB is a very strong yet flexible polymer and its unique properties make it an advantageous choice for use in medical devices. This article interested me because I worked with P4HB on my last co-op at Davol, Inc., a medical device company specializing in hernia repair, on a daily basis. I actually read this article on my first day at Davol in order to learn more about how and why this polymer could be used hernia repair meshes. Considering the quite technical title of the article, one can quickly make the assumption that this article was written for an audience with a general knowledge of polymer chemistry and the use of polymers in the medical field. The authors frequently use scientific terms that the layperson would not be familiar with. For example, the passage the polyester is a homopolymer of 4-hydroxybutyrate (4HB) and belongs to a diverse class of materials called polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) that are derived from microorganisms1 (pg 1.) is not written in a vernacular most people are familiar with. This indicates that the authors are not trying to appeal

Calise to the general public, but instead a very select group of individuals with a science background. Another indication of the authors desired audience is that this article was published in the Biochemical Engineering Journal, a publication that requires a paid membership to read. By submitting their article to this journal, the authors are ensuring that the audience is composed of members of the scientific community, specifically biochemical or biomedical engineers. The authors of this article spell out their purpose in the abstract This paper describes

some of the basic properties of P4HB and several of its potential applications in medicine1 (pg 1.). The article contains experimental data that characterize P4HB and compare it to other biodegradable polymers commonly used in medical devices. In fact, this article serves to convince the reader that P4HB outperforms other biodegradable polymers and should be the wave of the future in medical devices. It is interesting to note that one of the authors, David P. Martin, holds a patent on the P4HB technology and would benefit from its widespread use in the medical field. Why would Mr. Martin leave this fact out of the article? As a reader, I would never have known Mr. Martins bias if I had not worked in the medical device industry on my last co-op and met the man himself. It is important as a reader to understand that the author may possess a certain bias and may not make it known in the article. The excerpt P4HB, unlike PGA, is relatively stable to moisture even during processing, and has good shelf life1 (pg 9.) seems to be an opinion rather than a fact. What comprises good shelf life? There are many tests in existence that are commonly used to determine shelf life. It would behoove the authors to provide some experimental data to back up these claims of superiority. Despite the lack of experimental data regarding shelf life, the rest of the article utilizes tables and figures to further demonstrate their point that P4HB can be used in various medical applications. Figure 2 shows the mechanism for the chemical synthesis of P4HB. This figure

Calise helps the reader to understand the production process the authors refer to in section 2.1

Production. Table 1 compares properties of P4HB to other biocompatible polymers. This table is extremely beneficial in helping the reader understand how the P4HB technology differs form its predecessors and how it can be advantageous in certain medical applications. The authors also utilize photographs to show the audience the effectiveness of P4HB at repairing a heart valve. Figure 61 (pg 6.) shows a heart valve tissue engineered from a P4HB/PGA composite scaffold.

This image is of particular interest as it grabs the readers attention and attests to the incredible medical advancements that have been made with the use of polymer chemistry, specifically P4HB. This journal article is a very typical example of writing in the biochemical engineering field. It is structured in a similar format as lab reports I have written in chemical engineering classes here at Northeastern University as well as lab reports I was required to write at my last co-op at Davol, Inc. I read many articles written in this same fashion at my last co-op in order to

Calise further my knowledge of polymer chemistry and the application of polymers in the medical device field. More specifically, this article discussing P4HB was the first journal article I read while at Davol, Inc. P4HB was a polymer that I dealt with on a daily basis in a lab setting, so it was extremely important for me to understand its properties and uses in medical devices. Davol is researching ways that P4HB can be made into hernia mesh, as it will degrade in the body at a

rate favorable for tissue ingrowth. As the patients own abdominal wall grows through the hernia mesh, the mesh will begin to resorb and eventually disappear. Currently, a main concern of surgeons performing hernia repair surgeries is chronic pain of the patient due to the permanent hernia mesh. P4HB offers an alternative to a permanent implant, which is why this article is so relevant to the medical community. This journal article provided me with this basic knowledge of P4HB that I could bring into a lab setting and further explore. This knowledge is something that the authors of this article strived to communicate and did so effectively.

Calise References 1. Martin DP, Williams SF. Medical application of poly-4-hydoxybutyrate: a strong flexible absorbable biomaterial. Biochem Eng J. 2003;16:97-105.