The Amazon contains around 10% of the planet's biodiversity. The potential of all this living wealth is enormous, not only in terms of regulating the climate, but also as the origin of resources for food, medicines manufacture and many other products.
For this reason, a laboratory at the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), focused on biotechnology, uses this potential to create new materials and products, especially for health and agriculture, derived from natural resources typical of the region, such as andiroba, copaíba and açaí seeds.
It is the Biomaterials, Bioproducts and Biofabrication Technologies Laboratory (Labbio 3D), led by Marcele Passos, a PhD professional in chemical engineering and Professor in the Postgraduate Programs in Biotechnology, Materials Science and Engineering and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
According to Marcele, to develop materials and products, the laboratory uses Amazonian biodiversity and agro-industrial waste to strengthen the local bioeconomy and create goods with high added value. "Biomaterials are those that can come into contact with biological fluids and can be used in the health area, such as in dressings, orthoses or prostheses. Bioproducts, on the other hand, may be developed with the same raw materials, but are aimed at other sectors, such as agriculture, food or other applications," she explains.
HEALTH
One of the studies developed at Labbio involves the production of orthoses for the hands of patients with stroke sequelae, to prevent contractures and deformities. According to Lorena Silva, an occupational therapist, master's student in materials engineering and Labbio researcher, the orthoses produced in the lab are intended to be cheaper, more sustainable and more comfortable than those currently on the market.
"The intention is to develop a more resistant material that maintains all the properties needed for the orthosis and which is biodegradable. We are looking into combining the PLA [polylactic acid] polymer, made from corn or sugar cane fibers, with another vegetable fiber in order to have more mechanical and moisture resistance and a good technical function," she says.
The orthoses are created by a 3D printer. "We use a software program to make the design, with the patient's measurements, print it out and model it on the hand. This orthosis is more comfortable, lighter, safer and more cost-effective. So, it should become more accessible to the population," she states.
BIOCURATIVES
Another work front at Labbio 3D is the production of biocuratives using bioactives from the Amazon, such as oils and extracts, combined with nanotechnology and polymeric matrices. “These bandages are low-cost and use resources from traditional people’s knowledge, such as andiroba, pracaxi, jucá and copaíba, which have biological activities that are already known and studied,” explains Professor Marcele Passos.
The result is a membrane, in the shape of an adhesive plaster or film, with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory action, which improves oxygenation, absorbs pus, does not stick to the wound and, because of all these properties, is more efficient at healing the injury.
"With this biocurative, we end up having a much faster action over healing and inflammation processes than if we were using a conventional dressing. The aim is for the resource, after all the necessary tests, to reach the Unified Health System (SUS)," points out the coordinator.
A 3D bioprinter is used to produce the items
Labbio 3D is the first laboratory at UFPA to have a 3D bioprinter. By adding a bioactive substance such as copaíba oil to biodegradable polymer matrices, the equipment produces curative bandages in three dimensions, into which cells and growth factors are added. The process is called additive manufacturing and is just one of the biofabrication technologies used in the laboratory. Unlike an ordinary 3D printer, the bioprinter uses cells or other growth factors in the composition of the desired product.
Bioprocess engineer and master's student in biotechnology Ailime Melo is one of the Labbio researchers who studies the production of biocuratives from Amazonian extracts and hydrogel from brown algae. In addition, she is researching the production of a biomaterial, in an ear shape, which helps to regenerate cartilage, also using bioprinting.
"By using cells from the patient, the bioprinter forms an environment that imitates the natural environment in order to produce aggregated cells that will help regenerate the cartilage if, for example, the patient has suffered a trauma and lost the cartilage in their nose. The same principle is used for bone regeneration: the three-dimensional constructs produced by the bioprinter will be placed in the fracture to speed up healing, with compounds that help the adhesion of the cells," says Ailime.
PARTNERSHIPS
Labbio 3D works with various partnerships. Part of the research is carried out in the laboratory and the other part at the partner’s research institution. Collaboration occurs, for example, with the Emílio Goeldi Museum of Pará, Evandro Chagas Institute, the Federal Rural University of Amazon (Ufra) or other laboratories at UFPA itself.
By means of the partnership with Ufra, bioproducts are developed for agriculture, more specifically biofertilizers produced from agro-industrial waste. In this case, the laboratory is responsible for the formulations while Ufra is responsible for carrying out field tests on the crops.
"Together with Ufra's MicroBioMA Group, we work on the prospection of Amazonian microorganisms and bioactives according to the type of application provided by the plant under study, be it fungicide or bactericide. Then, we develop bioinputs, specifically biofertilizers, in which we use waste from the oleochemical chain to develop fertilizers with controlled release that have a much lower impact on the environment," says Marcele Passos.
Cellulose is created from açaí seeds
Another partnership between Labbio 3D and Ufra happens by means of the research carried out by Luciana Martins, a food engineer with a PhD in agricultural microbiology. Professor at Ufra, Luciana assists Labbio in assessing the antimicrobial activity of essential oils from Amazonian inputs.
On top of that, she studies fermentation processes which employ by-products from the agro-industry, such as the açaí seed. "We use this seed as a source of substrate for microbial growth. One of the bioproducts generated is bacterial cellulose, in other words, a biopolymer produced by a certain group of bacteria. And this cellulose is not like the one extracted from plants, it has several advantages," states the Professor.
According to Luciana, the cellulose produced by bacteria is highly pure, mechanically resistant and able to incorporate liquids. For this reason, it can be used as a bandage for burns, incorporating controlled release pharmaceuticals. It can also be used to filter effluents, removing compounds that are more difficult to degrade from water, thus contributing to the environment. “Furthermore, by using agro-industrial waste, such as the açaí seed, so abundant in our region, we also end up promoting a circular economy,” emphasizes the researcher.
VALORIZATION
According to Marcele Passos, Labbio aims to value traditional Amazonian knowledge and the communities where this knowledge comes from. ”Often, an Amazonian plant has a certain activity that does not eventually generate income for the communities. So, we want to generate products with high added value so that the communities involved in that production chain benefit, strengthening the bioeconomy. The institutions with which we have partnerships have direct contacts with small producers who supply this raw material," emphasizes the coordinator.
"In addition, in terms of sustainability, we use waste that would be thrown into the environment, harming nature. On the contrary, we turn this waste into raw material for new products that will once again benefit communities and society as a whole," concludes Marcele.
INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERSHIP
The production of Liberal Amazon is one of the initiatives of the Technical Cooperation Agreement between the Liberal Group and the Federal University of Pará. The articles involving research from UFPA are revised by professionals from the academy. The translation of the content is also provided by the agreement, through the research project ET-Multi: Translation Studies: multifaces and multisemiotics.
