Water soluble keratose proteins were obtained from an Ovis Aries wool using peracetic acid oxidation. The wool samples and the extracted keratose proteins were characterized by using FTIR, XRD, SEM and TGA techniques. Fractions of α-keratose (MW = 43-53 kDa) along with protein species with molecular weights between 23 kDa and 33 kDa were identified in the SDS-PAGE analysis result of the extracted protein mixture. DLS and AFM experiments indicated that self-assembled globular nanoparticles with diameters between 15 nm and 100 nm formed at 5 mg/ml keratose concentration. On the other hand, upon incubation of 10 w % keratose solutions at 37 °C and 50 °C, interconnected keratose hydrogels with respective storage modulus (G') values of 0.17 ± 0.03 kPa and 3.7 ± 0.5 kPa were obtained. It was shown that the keratose hydrogel prepared at 37 °C supported L929 mouse fibroblast cell proliferation which suggested that these keratose hydrogels could be promising candidates in soft tissue engineering applications.

Current approaches for treating patients with end stage renal disease include hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, both of which are diffusion-based treatments that require a dialysate solution. The native kidney has separate filtration (glomerulus) and transport (nephron) capabilities. Although artificial methods for simulating glomerular function using membrane ultrafiltration have been proposed, there are no known technologies for simulating the ion transport functions of the nephron. Here we have created a synthetic nephron using activated wafer electrodeionization (AWEDI). AWEDI incorporates mesh electrodes within an electrodeionization wafer, allowing ion selectivity and transport rate to be modulated independently. We demonstrate the capabilities of AWEDI with several physiologically relevant ions which mimic the fine control of ion transport by the kidney. Furthermore, by integrating our AWEDI technology with ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis modules, the possibility of incorporating AWEDI technology in an artificial kidney is demonstrated.

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Emerging technologies in nanotechnology and biomedical engineering have led to an increase in the use of implantable biomedical devices. These devices are currently battery powered which often means they must be surgically replaced during a patient’s lifetime. Therefore, there is an important need for a power source that could provide continuous, stable power over a prolonged time. Reverse electrodialysis (RED) based biopower cells have been previously used to generate continuous power from physiologically relevant fluids; however, the low salinity gradient that exists within the body limited the performance of the biopower cell. In this study, a miniaturized RED biopower cell design coupled with a salt cartridge was evaluated for boosting the salt concentration gradient supplied to RED in situ. For the salt cartridge, polysulfone (PSf) hollow fibers were prepared in-house and saturated with NaCl solutions to deliver salt and thereby enhance the concentration gradient. The effect of operational parameters including solution flow rate and cartridge salt concentration on salt transport performance was evaluated. The results demonstrated that the use of the salt cartridge was able to increase the salt concentration of the RED inlet stream by 74% which in turn generated a 3-fold increase in the open circuit voltage (OCV) of the biopower cell. This innovative adaptation of the membrane-based approach into portable power generation could help open new pathways in various biomedical applications.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.