Research
Grant to fund study of possible asthma treatment from crabs (article)
The title of his research is "Oral Administration of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine Polymer Particles Down-Regulates Airway Allergic Responses." It focuses on finding a way to decrease asthma attacks in children by boosting their immune systems by introducing carbohydrates purified from crab and shrimp shells.
Biomedical Textiles Article
Biomedical textiles from dibutyrylchitin and chitin
"On the European market there is a lack of innovative biomaterials that aid in regeneration of wound tissue. The project:
aims the design and development: of optimal textile forms for medical applications made from dibutyrylchitin (DBC) and
chitin, from fishery byproducts. Recently a method for the synthesis of dibutyrylchitin is developed. DBC is
easily soluble in common recyclable solvents and has film/fibre forming properties. Chitin can be regenerated (RC).
The products are assumed to have wound healing properties. This opens the way for the development of novel functional
biomaterials made from DBC and RC. Technologies for the production of fibres, yarns, non-wovens and knittings will be
developed. The textiles will be designed to requirements and characterised on mechanical, physico-chemical and
biochemical-medical (in vitro, in vivo) properties. Initiations for approval of medical products will be made.
Bone Tissue Engineering
Chitosan Composites for Bone Tissue Engineering—An Overview
Chitosan (CTS) and hydroxyapatite (HAp) are among the best bioactive biomaterials in bone tissue engineering and renowned for their excellent biocompatibility with the human body environment
Cancer Treatments
From shrimp shells to cancer cells: a biotech challenge (article)
The participants also discussed specific chitosan to aid in the transport of drugs to target sites, such as brain or cancer cells. A big advantage is that chitosans are well tolerated by the human body and easily biodegradable.
Diabetes
Glucose Sensing Sponge Delivers Insulin Precisely When and Where Needed (article)
The researchers created a spherical, sponge-like matrix out of chitosan, a material found in shrimp and crab shells. Scattered throughout this matrix are smaller nanocapsules made of a porous polymer that contain glucose oxidase or catalase enzymes. The sponge-like matrix surrounds a reservoir that contains insulin. The entire matrix sphere is approximately 250 micrometers in diameter and can be injected into a patient.
<>Smart Sponge
Injectable 'smart sponge' controls diabetes, presents new targeted drug delivery method (article)
Take, for example, this new method developed by North Carolina State University researchers that uses injectable sponge to control blood sugar levels. No, it's not the same sponge you use to clean at home -- the material is made out of a substance taken from crab and shrimp shells called chitosan. This spongy material forms a matrix that's approximately 250 micrometers in diameter, where a rise in blood sugar causes a reaction in the pores that leads to the drug's release.
Diabetes Bandage (article)
University of Alabama team turning shrimp shells into high-tech bandages (article)
Gurau has teamed up with University of Alabama chemistry professor Robin Rogers, chemistry graduate student Leah Block and Whitney
Hough to transform shrimp shells into an effective bandage for diabetes patients who develop limb-threatening sores.
Chemurgy And
Allergens Blog
Bullet Wound Product
How A Simple New Invention Seals A Gunshot Wound In 15 Seconds (article)
The team settled on a sponge made from wood pulp and coated with chitosan, a blood-clotting, antimicrobial substance that comes from <>shrimp shells. To ensure that no sponges would be left inside the body accidentally, they added X-shaped markers that make each sponge visible on an x-ray image.
Bullet Wound Product By XStat (article)
Tiny Injected Sponges Stop Bleeding From Gunshot Wounds in 15 Seconds
Using a pre-packed syringe, the first responder injects a bunch of pill-shaped sponges into the wound, where they expand and fit more tightly together than wadded gauze. The sponges are also coated in chitosan,
a compound made from shrimp shells used to encourage clotting. All told, XStat usually stops bleeding within 15 seconds, the company says.
Omega Three Oil
Quinlan Brothers looking at Extracting Omega 3 Oil From Shrimp Waste (article)
The economic viability to extract omega 3-enriched oil from shrimp waste will be determined by Canadian processor Quinlan Brothers, reports The Pilot.
Celox
Flakes of Crab and Shrimp Shells Provide a New and Effective Way of Clotting Arterial Bleeds (article)
Celox is easy to use — you just pour it on an open wound and apply pressure — and both safer and faster-acting than similar products. The best bit, though, is that the active ingredient, chitosan, is extracted from the shells of crabs and shrimp.
Bleeding Products by Celox
Celox
The chitosan in Celox is a specific high quality grade selected for medical use from a shellfish source and the product has
been through extensive safety testing to FDA requirements and the most stringent class of European Medical Device regulations.
As part of this work the chitosan has been tested on human subjects with confirmed fish or shrimp hypersensitivity and none of
the subjects showed any skin reaction to the chitosan