Team:TecCEM/HP/Gold Integrated
Gold Medal and Integrated Human Practices
Escalating our project: nanotechnology mediated application
Once we had defined the development of our project, the next challenge consisted in upscaling it: finding an appropriate production method that could be applicable in the fields, and that would be both environmentally responsible, economically viable and easy to use. We had a meeting with Enrique Ángeles Anguiano, investigator at the Faculty of Chemistry from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Dr. Ángeles suggested nanotechnological encapsulation, which has been an effective strategy for insecticide and drug delivery. This was the first time we considered this approach. An array of materials are available to encapsulate biomolecules, and several choices were considered according to various factors: first, because it will be applied directly to plants, it should not be degraded so easily as to be ineffective (requiring too many applications). However, it should still be biodegradable enough to not contaminate the soil or water, and for the encapsulation to dissociate inside the cell, releasing our product. Next, the particle should have a positive charge so as to allow the negatively charged siRNA particles to adhere. Other factors such as pH and temperature stability were also considered. To evaluate our choices, we met with Dr. Roberto Díaz Torres, a researching professor at the Multidisciplinary Investigation Unit from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), where he is currently developing new methods for biomolecule encapsulation. The work we did with him led to the formulation of a chitosan solution to encapsulate our siRNA, which has several benefits:1. It is cationic in acidic conditions, which makes it easy to encapsulate siRNA. 2. It is biodegradable, which makes it safe for the environment preventing its accumulation on soil or water, and poses no risk for human consumption, so fruits that might get in touch with our solution continue being safe to eat. 3. It is a commercially available and relatively cheap product compared to other encapsulation materials (such as liposomes or other cationic lipids).4. It can easily attach to surfaces such as leaves, making it ideal for a spray that can be used in fields.
