Toray Creates Porous Fibers to Adsorb Pathogenic Substances in Intractable Diseases

Toray Industries, Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Mitsuo Oya; hereinafter "Toray") has developed a technology (hereinafter "this technology") to arbitrarily control the pore diameter of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) porous fibers over a wide range from several nanometers to approximately 1,000 nm, leading 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 that can replace or bring synergistic effects to conventional treatments for intractable diseases such as autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer.

With the aging 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. For these diseases, there are many cases where drug therapy or surgery is not sufficiently effective, and side effects or the risk of recurrence are challenges. In this context, there is a growing demand for technology that can efficiently remove large-molecular-weight pathogenic substances such as autoantibodies, lipoproteins, and exosomes from the blood.

PMMA is a material with good biocompatibility and moderate protein adsorption characteristics, 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 a track record of about 50 years 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 enabled the development of a pore size control technology that can regulate 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 allows for both large pore sizes and strength. The application of this technology makes it possible to selectively adsorb and remove large-molecular-weight pathogenic substances that could not be captured within the pores of conventional fibers.

Going forward, we will proceed with the design of pore sizes suitable for the treatment of intractable diseases such as autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer, and advance the development of mass production technology, aiming for early commercialization. Furthermore, this technology can be applied to areas other than medical devices; for example, we are 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 material technologies, aiming for sustainable growth and expansion along with social contribution.