Engineering of Advanced Injectable Carriers from Pro-Angiogenic Sugars to Promote Rapid Bone Healing

Therapeutic proteins have revolutionised the healthcare sector by providing various task-specific drugs for the treatment of various diseases such as cancer and bone repair. The aim of this study was to address the challenges associated with the delivery of therapeutic proteins in an efficient and cost-effective manner by using naturally occurring carbohydrates for the development of an in situ solidifying polymeric carrier. Deoxyribose was chosen as the starting material for synthesising a novel and highly viscous drug carrier by a sequential process of polycondensation and esterification. The effect of synthesis parameters on the molecular weight, viscosity and adhesion of the material was studied and correlated to temperature of polycondensation, time and temperature of esterification, and the molar ratio of the monomer (R). The formulations were evaluated for molecular weight and distribution using Gel Permeation Chromatography, chemical structure by Fourier transform infrared and NMR Spectra, and rheological properties using rheometer. Formulations illustrated a wide range of viscosities, adhesion and molecular weight, where viscosity was significantly reduced in the presence of low amounts of solvents (10-20%). The biocompatibility of PDIB as well as its potential as a BMP delivery system was assessed in vivo using a rat ectopic bone model, where bone nodules were observed at 2 weeks. In summary, the outcomes of this study present a minimally-invasive delivery method for therapeutic proteins by using natural carbohydrates. The newly developed in situ solidifying polymer displayed tunable physicochemical properties with distinctive viscosity and adhesive characteristics. makeing it a great potential candidate for the delivery of therapeutic proteins including in bone tissue engineering

An Enhanced Phase Change Material Composite for Electrical Vehicle Thermal Management

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery cells are influenced by high energy, reliability, and robustness. However, they produce a noticeable amount of heat during the charging and discharging process. This paper presents an optimal thermal management system (TMS) using a phase change material (PCM) and PCM-graphite for a cylindrical Li-ion battery module. The experimental results show that the maximum temperature of the module under natural convection, PCM, and PCM-graphite cooling methods reached 64.38, 40.4, and 39 °C, respectively. It was found that the temperature of the module using PCM and PCM-graphite reduced by 38% and 40%, respectively. The temperature uniformity increased by 60% and 96% using the PCM and PCM-graphite. Moreover, some numerical simulations were solved using COMSOL Multiphysics® for the battery module