PLA from PolySciTech used in development of commodity plastic for packaging uses

 

Plastic pollution is a global problem affecting waterways and land damaging many environments. Researchers at Louisiana State University used PLA (AP047 https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/polyvivo/index.php?highlight=AP047#h) from PolySciTech division of Akina, Inc. (www.PolySciTech.com) to develop lignin composite plastics for packaging materials. This research holds promise to provide for reduced plastics pollution in the future. Read more: Mendez, Omar, Carlos Astete, Rafael Cueto, Fannyuy Kewir, Jessica Eberhard, Thanida Chuacharoen, Olivia Springer, Marie Howe, and Cristina Sabliov. "Effect of Lignin Incorporation on Properties of Polyester Films of Lignin-Grafted-PCL/PLGA/PLA Polymers as Packaging Materials." ACS Omega 11, no. 22 (2026): 32252-32262. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsomega.5c13155

“This article reports on the effect of lignin on the properties of films made from lignin (LN) grafted to either PCL, PLGA, or PLA. LN-PCL/PLGA/PLA polymers were synthesized by an acylation reaction, and lignin grafting was confirmed using FTIR and H NMR spectroscopy. Films were made from the grafted polymers with a solvent-casting technique. The thermal, mechanical, and functional properties of the films were measured using standard methods and compared against the properties of the polyester films without lignin. Thermal analysis of the films showed glass transition temperatures of 55.9, 46.2, and 56 °C for LN-PCL, LN-PLGA, and LN-PLA, similar to those of the free polyesters. LN grafting reduced strain at break and yield strength, particularly when grafted to PLA, while having minimal impacts on PCL and PLGA. All LN-PCL/PLGA/PLA films presented an UV transmittance below 15%, an improvement over those of the polyesters measuring 60% and up, showing a high potential as a UV-shielding material. Contact angle analysis indicated no effect on the wettability of the films from incorporating lignin, with an average water contact angle of 82.71 ± 8.42°. While permeability was similar across polymers, ranging from 3.6 × 1012 to 8.5 × 10–12 g/Pa*s*m for PLGA and PCL films, that of LN-PLA was significantly higher (1.5 × 1011 ± 1.9 × 10–12g/Pa*s*m), but in the same range. In summary, the lignin films had comparable properties to those of the neat polyesters while having higher UV-shielding properties, indicating the potential of lignin-grafted materials as biodegradable alternatives for packaging UV-sensitive products.”

Benchtop to Bedside clinical manufacturing with MidWestGMP https://www.akinainc.com/midwestgmp/

Corbion Purasorb® Distributed Polymers: https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/purasorb/

Ashland-TM Distributed Polymer Products: https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/ashland/

PrecisionGelTM from Vivos https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/vivos/

PLGA from PolySciTech used in development of colistin-loaded nanoparticles for treatment of antibiotic resistant bacteria

Drug resistant bacterial infections are difficult to treat. Researchers at Assuit University, University of Tabuk, and Sohag University used PLGA (AP154 https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/polyvivo/index.php?highlight=AP154#h) from PolySciTech division of Akina, Inc. (www.PolySciTech.com) to develop nanoparticles for treatment of antibiotic resistant bacteria. This research holds promise to provide therapy against difficult to treat infections. Read more: Abdelaleem, Mahitab S., Helal F. Hetta, Noura H. Abd Ellah, Doaa S. Mohamed, and Mohamed A. El-Mokhtar. "Colistin-Loaded PLGA Nanoparticles Enhance the Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Activity and Modulate Virulence Gene Expression in Escherichia Coli." Journal of Pharmaceutical Innovation 21, no. 6 (2026): 602. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12247-026-10833-2

“The increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli, including strains with reduced susceptibility to last-resort antibiotics such as colistin, represents a major global health concern. Nanoparticle-based delivery systems have been proposed to enhance antimicrobial efficacy. This study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial, antibiofilm, and virulence-modulating effects of colistin-loaded nanoparticles (CS-NPs) in comparison with free colistin () against clinical E. coli isolates. CS-NPs were synthesized using the nanoprecipitation technique and characterized for particle size and polydispersity index and morphology. Antibacterial activity was assessed by determining minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) using broth microdilution. Biofilm formation and inhibition were quantified using crystal violet staining. The relative expression of key virulence-associated genes (luxR, luxS, mqsR, fliA, motA, fimH, gapA, and flhD) was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR. Statistical comparisons were performed using appropriate parametric tests between treatment groups. CS-NPs exhibited significantly lower MIC values (0.0625–0.25 µg/mL) compared to free CS (0.5–2.0 µg/mL, p = 0.012). Biofilm formation was substantially inhibited by CS-NPs at both tested concentrations, with reductions of 63.8% and 56.7%, whereas free CS showed minimal inhibition (12.8% and 3.7%). Furthermore, CS-NPs treatments significantly downregulated all tested virulence-related genes, with higher suppression compared to equivalent doses of free CS. In contrast, low-dose free CS (0.25 µg/mL) showed minimal effect on gene expression. CS-NPs showed significantly improved in vitro antibacterial and antibiofilm activities, and modulated the virulence-associated gene expression in clinical E. coli isolates. These findings support the further development of nano-formulated colistin as a potential strategy to combat MDR E. coli, highlighting its promise for future in vivo studies and clinical applications.”

Benchtop to Bedside clinical manufacturing with MidWestGMP https://www.akinainc.com/midwestgmp/

Corbion Purasorb® Distributed Polymers: https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/purasorb/

Ashland-TM Distributed Polymer Products: https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/ashland/

PrecisionGelTM from Vivos https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/vivos/

Akina, Inc Controlled Release Society Scientific Poster Presentation

 

From Jul 6 - 9th, Akina, Inc. (https://akinainc.com/) will be presenting a scientific poster titled “Hydroxyl labelling and analysis of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) polymers by napthyl isocyanate and limitations” as poster number 416 at the CRS 2026 Annual meeting and exposition at the Lisbon Congress Centre in Lisbon, Portugal (https://crs2026annualmeeting.eventscribe.net/index.asp). #Research #CRS2026 #Science #polymers

PLA-NHS from PolySciTech used in development of PLA-hyaluronate for brain cancer therapy

 

Brain cancer remains difficult to treat due to problems with drug delivery. Researchers at Clemson University used PLA-NHS (cat# AI174 https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/polyvivo/index.php?highlight=AI174#h) to conjugate this polymer to amine-modified hyaluronic acid. This co-polymer was used for delivery of doxorubicin to glioblastoma cells. This research holds promise to provide for treatment of brain cancer in the future. Read more: Chaudhri, Apoorvi, Molli Garifo, Pranavi Thatavarthi, Torrick Fletcher Jr, and Jessica Larsen. "Hyaluronic acid-b-polylactic acid polymersomes facilitate CD44-mediated delivery of doxorubicin to glioblastoma in vitro." bioRxiv (2026): 2026-05. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.05.26.727934.abstract

“Glioblastoma represents a highly aggressive brain tumor with low survival and no response to chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Temozolomide, the current standard of care chemotherapy, improves patient survival by only about 6 months because of several resistance mechanisms, including unmethylated MGMT, which enables repair of chemotherapy-induced DNA damage. Thus, additional treatments strategies are necessary to investigate efficient responses towards glioblastoma. Doxorubicin (DOX) is a chemotherapeutic agent that is independent of MGMT methylation and instead works through inhibition of topoisomerase (TOPO) II, an enzyme necessary for DNA replication of the tumor. The inability of doxorubicin to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) precludes its use in glioblastoma. Polymersome nanoparticles have the potential to transport agents across the BBB. Here, we develop hyaluronic acid-b-polylactic acid (HA-PLA) polymeric nanoparticles called polymersomes, encapsulate them with DOX and investigate the ability of our system to induce apoptosis in a human glioblastoma cell line. The HA-PLA polymersomes show specificity and receptor-mediated endocytosis towards CD44-positive U87 glioblastoma cells due to the natural affinity of HA (hyaluronic acid) to CD44. Our HLA-PLA-DOX system promotes apoptosis of glioblastoma through inhibition of topoisomerase (TOPO) II. Thus, our system could allow tumor specificity through HA-CD44 affinity and slow drug release through pH sensitivity of PLA in the acidic tumor microenvironment.”

Benchtop to Bedside clinical manufacturing with MidWestGMP https://www.akinainc.com/midwestgmp/

Corbion Purasorb® Distributed Polymers: https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/purasorb/

Ashland-TM Distributed Polymer Products: https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/ashland/

PrecisionGelTM from Vivos https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/vivos/

PLGA from PolySciTech used in development of nanoparticle based osteoarthritis treatment

 

Researchers at Tufts University, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Brookhaven National Laboratory used PLGA (Cat# AP023 https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/polyvivo/index.php?highlight=AP023#h) from PolySciTech division of Akina, Inc. to develop nanoparticles for treating osteoarthritis. This research holds promise to provide therapy for this debilitating disease. Read more: Dewani, Mahima, Anjali Rajesh Mamidwar, Miraj Rawal, Nutan Bhingaradiya, Jingshu Liu, Nishkal Pisal, Sihan Liu et al. "A disease-severity-responsive nanoparticle enables potent ghrelin messenger RNA therapy in osteoarthritis." Nature Nanotechnology (2026): 1-12. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-025-02101-0

“Intra-articular RNA therapeutics have shown promise in osteoarthritis (OA); however, maximizing their efficacy requires targeted delivery to degenerating cartilage within focal lesions. As OA progresses, cartilage degeneration worsens, necessitating disease-responsive targeting with enhanced delivery in advanced stages. Here we develop an anionic nanoparticle (NP) strategy for targeting glycosaminoglycan loss, a hallmark of OA’s progression that reduces cartilage’s negative charge. These NPs selectively diffuse and accumulate into matrix regions inversely correlated with glycosaminoglycan content owing to reduced electrostatic repulsion, a strategy we term ‘matrix inverse targeting’ (MINT). In a mouse model of OA, intra-articular delivery of luciferase messenger RNA-loaded MINT NPs demonstrated disease-severity-responsive expression. Using this strategy, we delivered ghrelin mRNA, as ghrelin has shown chondroprotection properties previously. Ghrelin mRNA-loaded MINT NPs reduced cartilage degeneration, subchondral bone thickening and nociceptive pain. Our findings highlight the potential of ghrelin mRNA delivery as a disease-modifying therapy for OA and the platform’s potential for lesion-targeted RNA delivery responsive to disease severity.”

Benchtop to Bedside clinical manufacturing with MidWestGMP https://www.akinainc.com/midwestgmp/

Corbion Purasorb® Distributed Polymers: https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/purasorb/

Ashland-TM Distributed Polymer Products: https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/ashland/

PrecisionGelTM from Vivos https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/vivos/

Fluorescent PLGA-Rhodamine from PolySciTech used in development of siRNA loaded nanoparticles

 

siRNA holds promise to provide for selective shut-off genes and can be used to treat a variety of disease states. Despite this, delivery of this class of molecules remains a challenge. Researchers at University of Naples Federico II and Tel Aviv University used PLGA-Rhodamine (cat# AV011 https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/polyvivo/index.php?highlight=AV011#h) from PolySciTech division of Akina, Inc. as part of development of a nanoparticle delivery system for siRNA. This research holds promise to unlock the usage of this class of pharmaceutics. Read more: Longobardi, Giuseppe, Pini Shekhter, Claudia Conte, Ronit Satchi-Fainaro, and Fabiana Quaglia. "Double-coated PLGA nanoparticles with hierarchical surface architecture for CD44-targeted siRNA delivery." Drug Delivery and Translational Research (2026): 1-16. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13346-026-02115-8

“Efficient delivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA) remains a materials challenge because it requires nanocarriers that stabilize polyanionic cargo, support cellular interactions, and enable cytosolic delivery. Although poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) are used due to biocompatibility, biodegradability, and regulatory acceptance, siRNA delivery with PLGA requires interfacial engineering to meet these constraints. Here, a modular double-coated PLGA NP platform (dcNPs2.0) is developed and optimized for siRNA complexation, surface functionalization, and scalable manufacturing. The system comprises a PLGA core coated with a polyethyleneimine (PEI) interlayer to mediate siRNA binding, followed by a hyaluronic acid (HA) outer layer, which improves colloidal stability and promotes CD44-mediated uptake. Process optimization, including transition from batch nanoprecipitation to microfluidic fabrication, provides high yield, excellent reproducibility, narrow size distributions, and increased siRNA loading. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms hierarchical multilayer assembly. The optimized dcNPs2.0 formulation exhibited robust physicochemical stability during storage, in serum-containing media, and following lyophilization with appropriate cryoprotection. Functional evaluation of dcNPs2.0 demonstrated efficient HA-mediated cellular uptake and effective silencing following siRNA delivery in both two-dimensional monolayers and three-dimensional spheroids of MDA-MB-231 cells. Overall, this work establishes a scalable, rationally engineered PLGA nanoplatform that integrates extracellular targeting with intracellular delivery requirements for siRNA therapeutic applications. Keywords: PLGA nanoparticles, Surface engineering, siRNA delivery, CD44-mediated targeting, 3D models”

Benchtop to Bedside clinical manufacturing with MidWestGMP https://www.akinainc.com/midwestgmp/

Corbion Purasorb® Distributed Polymers: https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/purasorb/

Ashland-TM Distributed Polymer Products: https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/ashland/

PrecisionGelTM from Vivos https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/vivos/

PLGA from PolySciTech used in development of Improved broad-spectrum influenza A vaccine

 

Researchers at Indian Institute of Science, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nitte University, and Mynvax Private Limited used PLGA (Cat# AP041 https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/polyvivo/index.php?highlight=AP041#h) from PolySciTech division of Akina, Inc. as part of development of a particle delivery-adjuvent system for influenza A vaccine. This research holds promise to prevent common causes of flu. Read more: Yadav, Rajesh T., Mansi Sharma, Santhosh K. Nagaraj, Rohan Narayan, Abinaya Kaliappan, Uma Shanmugasundaram, Rahul Chavan et al. "Broad protection against Influenza A Viruses via an adjuvant-free mucosal microparticle vaccine with conserved CD8/CD4 bispecific peptides." bioRxiv (2026): 2026-03. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.03.29.715080.abstract

“Influenza A viruses (IAVs) cause substantial global morbidity and mortality and are responsible for most known viral pandemics. Their rapid antigenic evolution enables escape from natural and vaccine-induced immunity, requiring annual vaccine reformulation, which offers limited breadth and variable effectiveness. Although a universal influenza vaccine remains a critical objective, most strategies have focused on conserved viral glycoproteins to elicit broadly neutralizing antibodies, with comparatively fewer efforts targeting conserved T cell antigens to achieve cross-subtype protection. Current T cell-based approaches often rely on individual CD8+ epitopes, which are limited by peptide instability, delivery constraints, and dependence on adjuvants. Here, we demonstrate a T cell-focused vaccine strategy that uses evolutionary consensus of IAV M1 and NP from the H1N1 and H3N2 subtypes to predict, map, and screen conserved regions enriched with multiple CD8+ and CD4+ epitopes. We selected the top-performing peptides from immunogenicity screening. We encapsulated them in polylactic-co-glycolic acid microparticles (PLGA-MPs) engineered for selective uptake by APCs and pH-dependent sustained release. Intranasal delivery of this vaccine formulation targeted the primary site of infection and induced robust mucosal immunity without the need for conventional adjuvants. Both human and murine influenza-experienced T cells mounted potent recall responses to the vaccine. In mice, immunization elicited strong CD8+ and CD4+ T cell responses and conferred broad protection against homologous H1N1 and H3N2 as well as heterologous H5N1 IAV subtypes. These findings collectively establish a mucosal, T cell-based vaccine platform that is adjuvant-free and capable of providing broad protection against IAV and other viruses with pandemic potential.”

Benchtop to Bedside clinical manufacturing with MidWestGMP https://www.akinainc.com/midwestgmp/

Corbion Purasorb® Distributed Polymers: https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/purasorb/

Ashland-TM Distributed Polymer Products: https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/ashland/

PrecisionGelTM from Vivos https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/vivos/