I-Corps: Translation Potential of Thermal Stabilization of Embedded Proteins

This I-Corps project focuses on proteins containing functional materials that are compatible with existing manufacturing infrastructure, accelerating their commercial adoption. Embedding proteins into plastics creates a new class of hybrid materials, bioactive plastics. Bioactive plastics combine the unique functions of biology with the production throughput and versatile forms of synthetic materials. For instance, dispersing nanoscale enzymes within biodegradable polymers can lead to fully compostable plastics. This I-Corps project utilizes experiential learning coupled with a first-hand investigation of the industry ecosystem to assess the translation potential of the technology. This solution is based on factors that govern enzyme stabilities outside of their native environment, e.g. inside of plastic matrices and during the polymer processing. Specifically, the stabilization technology is guided by protein conformation, the activity of the short-range interactions, and the chemical and physical characteristics of the surrounding media. Here, embedded enzymes convert polymers into small molecules under industrial composting conditions. Protein integrity is maintained during plastic manufacturing processes like 3D printing, pelletizing, film casting, and molding. This enables the downstream processing of bioactive plastics for health and sustainability applications, such as surgical implants with embedded protein therapeutics and plastics programmed with custom degradation profiles for specific real-world environments (e.g., composts/landfills, oceans, or re/upcycling facilities). This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.