NANOTECHNOLOGIES

Implementation of an innovative project to create production of medical equipment capable of nanofiltration of plasma components down to separate protein molecules will help solve a lot of serious problems in the way if innovative system of medical service on the national level.

Track-etched nanomembrane

Specialists of TRACKPORE TECHNOLOGY, JINR and the Institute of Crystallography developed a technology allowing for production of nanomembrane with pore diameter of 20 to 100 nanometers with pre-determined unique characteristics (pore form and size, surface features). Such nanosizes are achieved through bombardment of a polymeric film with ions of heavy inert gases accelerated in a cyclotron. Nanotraces of ions in the film (tracks) are selectively turned into pores with determined by UV-irradiation and chemical etching. They allow not only to filter formal elements bust divide plasma into components, such as separating large protein complexes forming during ion reactions and return albumin fraction into the bloodstream. This helps, for example, in treating people with autoimmune diseases. An accelerator of a new type will be built for production of nanofilters by JINR and TRACKPORE TECHNOLOGY.

In partnership with RUSNANO

High-tech production of nanofilters is currently being reated within the project realized by TRACKPORE TECHNOLOGY in partnership with RUSNANO. At the moment the project has no rivals in Russia in its scale and technical basis. Serial production of medical equipment is to start in 2015 and after a year BETA RPC will get full production capacity for devices and plasmafilters for 800 thousand procedures of cascade plasmafiltration per annum.

Expensive fiber-based filters currently used for cascade plasmapheresis are manufactured in countries like Japan, Italy and Germany. However, domestic technology of track-etched nanofilters and devices has no comparison in the world. Introduction of domestic nanotechnology will help reduce the costs of of medical equipment for hemocorrection and make it available to general public.