Creation of Porous Fibers that Adsorb Pathogenic Substances of Intractable Diseases
Toray Industries, Inc. has developed a technology to control the pore size of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) porous fibers over a wide range from a few nanometers to about 1,000 nm. This has led to the creation of porous fibers that can selectively adsorb pathogenic substances of intractable diseases. This technology contributes to proposing new blood purification treatment options for intractable diseases such as autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer, which could replace or supplement conventional therapies.
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- 📰 Published: March 30, 2026 at 05:11
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 26, 2026 at 21:27 (1384h 15m after Published)
Toray Industries, Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Mitsuo Oya; hereinafter "Toray") has developed a technology (hereinafter, "this Technology") that can arbitrarily control the pore diameter of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) porous fibers over a wide range from several nanometers to about 1,000 nanometers, leading to the creation of porous fibers that can selectively adsorb the causative agents of intractable diseases. This Technology contributes to the proposal of new blood purification treatment options that can replace or have a synergistic effect with conventional treatment methods for intractable diseases such as autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer.
With the aging of the population and diversification of lifestyles, the number of patients with intractable diseases such as autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer is increasing year by year. In these diseases, there are many cases where drug treatment and surgery alone are not sufficiently effective, or where side effects or the risk of recurrence become an issue. Under these circumstances, there is a growing demand for technologies that can efficiently remove high-molecular-weight pathogenic substances from the blood, such as autoantibodies, lipoproteins, and exosomes.
PMMA is a material with good biocompatibility and moderate protein adsorption properties, and Toray is the only company in the industry to have commercialized PMMA porous fibers. Specifically, they are manufactured and sold as artificial kidneys and adsorption-type blood purifiers, with about 50 years of experience in blood purification therapy applications.
By combining advanced analytical technologies such as small-angle X-ray scattering with digital technologies like phase separation simulations, Toray has analyzed the nano-level phase separation behavior during the spinning process of PMMA porous fibers in real-time. This has led to the development of a pore size control technology that can control the pore diameter up to about 1,000 nm, which is more than 50 times larger than conventional methods. Generally, increasing the pore size makes the fiber structure sparse and reduces its strength, but this Technology makes it possible to achieve both a large pore size and high strength. The application of this Technology will enable the selective adsorption and removal of high-molecular-weight pathogenic substances that could not be captured inside the pores with conventional technology.
Moving forward, for the treatment of intractable diseases such as autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer, we will proceed with designing pore sizes suitable for each disease and developing mass production technology, aiming for early practical application. Furthermore, this Technology can be expanded to applications other than medical devices; for example, we are also promoting its expansion into biopharmaceutical manufacturing applications.
Toray will continue to embody its corporate philosophy of "Contributing to society through the creation of new value" by promoting the development of high-value-added products utilizing advanced materials technology, aiming for sustainable growth and expansion along with social contribution.
With the aging of the population and diversification of lifestyles, the number of patients with intractable diseases such as autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer is increasing year by year. In these diseases, there are many cases where drug treatment and surgery alone are not sufficiently effective, or where side effects or the risk of recurrence become an issue. Under these circumstances, there is a growing demand for technologies that can efficiently remove high-molecular-weight pathogenic substances from the blood, such as autoantibodies, lipoproteins, and exosomes.
PMMA is a material with good biocompatibility and moderate protein adsorption properties, and Toray is the only company in the industry to have commercialized PMMA porous fibers. Specifically, they are manufactured and sold as artificial kidneys and adsorption-type blood purifiers, with about 50 years of experience in blood purification therapy applications.
By combining advanced analytical technologies such as small-angle X-ray scattering with digital technologies like phase separation simulations, Toray has analyzed the nano-level phase separation behavior during the spinning process of PMMA porous fibers in real-time. This has led to the development of a pore size control technology that can control the pore diameter up to about 1,000 nm, which is more than 50 times larger than conventional methods. Generally, increasing the pore size makes the fiber structure sparse and reduces its strength, but this Technology makes it possible to achieve both a large pore size and high strength. The application of this Technology will enable the selective adsorption and removal of high-molecular-weight pathogenic substances that could not be captured inside the pores with conventional technology.
Moving forward, for the treatment of intractable diseases such as autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer, we will proceed with designing pore sizes suitable for each disease and developing mass production technology, aiming for early practical application. Furthermore, this Technology can be expanded to applications other than medical devices; for example, we are also promoting its expansion into biopharmaceutical manufacturing applications.
Toray will continue to embody its corporate philosophy of "Contributing to society through the creation of new value" by promoting the development of high-value-added products utilizing advanced materials technology, aiming for sustainable growth and expansion along with social contribution.