Prolific 麻豆原创 inventor Swadeshmukul Santra is developing new technologies that hold promise not only for sustainable agriculture, but also for improved medicine.
Santra, a professor associated with 麻豆原创’s , and Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, has 34 麻豆原创 inventions under his belt and leads the university鈥檚 Materials Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA) center, a U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agricultural recognized Center of Excellence.
Some of his latest inventions include a nanocomposition that captures and preserves plant materials and agrochemicals and a targeted delivery system for combatting plant disease and providing nutrients at the nano level.
CapTap Keeps Agrochemicals, Pharmaceuticals Active Longer
One recent invention, CapTap, is a gel composition that captures and protects a product鈥檚 active ingredients, helping to extend the shelf life and viability. The technology addresses a persistent problem for industry: loss of chemical activity in ingredients before use.
Santra says it offers multiple uses and benefits for agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals, and it protects active ingredients in their original form in storage conditions and biological environments.
The inspiration for the invention came after reading an article about polyphenols, he says.
鈥淭hen I started quickly thinking about how the material, a natural product, could be useful,鈥� Santra says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the beauty of chemistry.鈥�
He contacted one of 麻豆原创鈥檚 industry partners and acquired 50 kilograms鈥攁 drum full of a naturally sourced polyphenol.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very cost-effective,鈥� Santra says. 鈥淎nd then, after that, the magic happened.鈥�
麻豆原创 chemistry doctoral student Jorge Pereira is a co-inventor of the technology.
鈥淚nitially, we were interested in it as an alternative to controlling plant pathogens using copper or zinc,鈥� Pereira says.
He says that at the same time, there was also a master鈥檚 student looking for a biomedical project on the nano delivery of curcumin. While considering both, Pereira says he realized that he could use the technology to encapsulate and deliver curcumin as a cargo. Later that night, after some restless sleep, Pereira says he realized he could use the technology not only to encapsulate that particular molecule, but you could use it to encapsulate every single molecule that has the same molecular interactions.鈥�
With that, Pereira went to the lab early the next morning.
鈥淚 tested the technology with maybe 10 different components, and it seemed that it encapsulated almost all of them with ease,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e concluded that this capturing technology, based on intermolecular interactions, could be used for agriculture and biomedical.鈥�
With the CapTap technology鈥檚 potential, two student researchers were able to develop their master鈥檚 theses related to medical issues. Giuliana Giannelli, a co-inventor, published the paper . Meanwhile, Research Assistant Sebastian Leon published . Surprisingly, he and the team got an email from scientists with the Association for Creatine Deficiencies (ACD).
鈥淲e were heavily intrigued because we did not promote this technology in any way,鈥� Pereira says.
He says that the group wanted to know if CapTap could be used to deliver creatine specifically to the brain to help people suffering from Creatine Transporter Deficiency (CTD), which has no proven treatment to date.
According to the ACD website, creatine is essential to sustain the high energy levels needed for muscle and brain development. While patients with CTD may have the necessary enzymes to form creatine, the creatine transporters that carry it to the brain and muscles do not function properly, and the creatine stays in the bloodstream.
鈥淪o you start developing something for one aspect, and then you find out that it鈥檚 useful for something completely different,鈥� Pereira says.
He says the non-phytotoxic and environmentally friendly technology can encapsulate active ingredients, both organic and inorganic materials, in liquid or gel form. It can also increase the shelf-life of many ingredients in various products, from foods and beverages to agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals. In one example application, the technology enables manufacturers to produce commercially available fertilizers at a lower cost. More information is available on the .
Galvoxite Delivery System Uniquely Targets Pathogens Through Plant Surfaces
Another recent invention enables growers to apply antifungal and antibacterial plant treatments and nutrients more effectively and efficiently. The GalvoxiteTM delivery system targets specific parts of a plant鈥檚 leaf tissue, such as areas most susceptible to bacteria and fungi. Growers can also use the technology to deliver micronutrients to targeted plant areas.
鈥淭his was my very first project when I joined Dr. Santra鈥檚 group,鈥� Pereira says. 鈥淪o, it鈥檚 my baby. It鈥檚 been a rebellious baby at that, but over these past four years, we鈥檝e made tremendous discoveries with this formulation, and its behavior is very unique. It fits a niche in nanotechnology for agriculture that was not there.鈥�
Pereira says that the technology鈥檚 nano borate formulations have an affinity for certain parts of a plant鈥檚 leaf that are prone to bacterial and fungal infections. The idea behind it is that if researchers are able to direct the pesticide to these specific areas, they can spray less pesticide and be more efficient. According to research from the National Library of Medicine, three billion kilograms of pesticides are used worldwide every year, while only 1% of total pesticides are effectively used to control insect pests on target plants.
The 麻豆原创 inventors discovered that with Galvoxite, they could effectively use oxytetracycline, an antibiotic labeled for peaches.
鈥淲e鈥檙e able to direct it to these openings in the leaves, called stomata,鈥� Pereira says. 鈥淭his is where the bacteria go inside the leaf. The invention significantly reduces the plant toxicity of traditional metal-based agrochemicals. More importantly, it increases the efficiency of foliar-sprayed agrochemicals by preferentially targeting and depositing in the stomata and the depressions between leaf cuticles.鈥�
Stomata are pores that allow a plant to breathe, and leaf cuticles protect a plant and help it to retain water.
鈥淥xytetracycline is just one example of the payloads we can target with the technology,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e believe we might be able to direct more biostimulants, fungicides, or other antibiotics as well.鈥�
The researchers also successfully used the technology to deliver a nano zinc borate pesticide to combat foliar pathogens on tomato plants.
As added benefit, the technology enhances a plant鈥檚 rain fastness and plant absorption and improves pesticide resistance.
The researchers confirmed that a plant鈥檚 fruit remains perfect with both technologies.
For more information, view the and the .
Ongoing and Related Work
For Santra and Pereira, the research continues. With CapTap, the team is working to see if the 麻豆原创 technology can cross the blood-brain barrier and deliver creatine more efficiently for people with CTD.
鈥淚f so, this could be a real game changer for people with this disorder,鈥� Pereira says. 鈥淲e are very excited.鈥�
Sebastian Leon has applied for a fellowship with the ACD, and if it is granted, the work will be done in the Santra lab.
Santra added that they will be collaborating with fellow 麻豆原创 researcher at the NanoScience Technology Center in , which focuses on constructing next-generation systems for toxicology, drug discovery, and basic biology research.
鈥淭hey have the right to an in vitro model system that we can use to test whether the findings can show that it can cross the blood-brain barrier,鈥� Santra says. 鈥淣adine is on board and saw the proposal that Sebastian put together for his fellowship.鈥�
He says that the proposal is currently pending with the agency.
In conjunction with the Galvoxite research, Pereira says that the team has developed an adjuvant technology. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently approved the use of oxytetracycline to help growers combat HLB in citrus plants. However, when injected into citrus trees, Pereira says the antibiotic can cause phytotoxicity and symptoms like bark splitting and staining on the wooden branches.
鈥淭his adjuvant technology is liquid, and there are no nanomaterials in this, but it can dissolve oxytetracycline at a neutral pH, which hasn鈥檛 been able to be done at an industrial scale, and this is in water,鈥� he says.
The adjuvant technology comprises mostly non-toxic chemicals that growers can easily obtain,鈥� Pereira says. 鈥淲e鈥檝e started some preliminary tests with a grower, and we鈥檝e seen fantastic results.鈥�
Background and Work to Protect Florida Citrus
Years ago, as a young post-doctoral researcher, chemist, and nanoscientist, Santra welcomed the interdisciplinary research culture he found 鈥渦nique to the United States.鈥�
Santra attributes that culture to the success of his work.
鈥淲e did not have this kind of opportunity while I was in graduate school in India,鈥� Santra says. 鈥淭he setting there was more like just you and your professor.鈥�
When he joined 麻豆原创 in 2005, Santra told himself to be passionate about interdisciplinary research. He said his first interdisciplinary research project came in 2008 when a student named Tamre Parsons asked for some lab experience related to citrus research.
鈥淪he said I鈥檓 interested in doing citrus research because there is a disease here called citrus canker, and I would like to contribute to solving this disease,鈥� Santra says. 鈥淚 said, OK, that鈥檚 good, but I do not know anything about agriculture.鈥�
After discovering citrus canker was a bacterial disease, Santra advised Parsons to contact an agriculture research expert. They found and contacted Jim Graham, Professor Emeritus of soil microbiology at the University of Florida鈥檚 Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred, Florida. He has been working on controlling the citrus canker disease for many years.
After the researchers connected, Santra鈥檚 team visited the CREC in Lake Alfred and informally discussed their nanotechnology research with Graham.
鈥淚 saw that Jim was very excited to learn about it, and that鈥檚 how the journey started,鈥� he says.
In addition to developing solutions against citrus canker, Santra and his team have created treatments against the more damaging Huanglongbing (HLB) disease, also known as citrus greening. Three of the patented technologies from Santra鈥檚 canker and HLB research are a , and , and . Santra also interacts with plant pathologists and works alongside growers to combat other crop diseases. For example, those that attack grapes and tomatoes.
Besides agriculture, Santra and his team have worked to help the biomedical and electronics industries.
鈥淲e call chemistry a central science. It connects every field,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a benefit for us to work with many disciplines.
鈥淲hatever success we have gained so far, you see it, there has been a platform,鈥� he says. 鈥淲hen you bring together all different disciplines, people talk to each other. They come up with new ideas.鈥�
Researchers鈥� Credentials
Santra holds a doctorate in chemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. After graduating, he worked with the University of Florida as a post-doctoral researcher and later as a research assistant professor at the UF Department of Neurological Surgery and Particle Engineering Research Center (PERC). In 2005, Santra joined 麻豆原创 as a professor at the Nanoscience Technology Center, Department of Chemistry, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, and Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences. He is the director of the 麻豆原创 center, a USDA-NIFA-recognized Center of Excellence.
Pereira graduated from Universidad Nacional Aut贸noma de Honduras (National University of Honduras) with a degree in industrial chemistry. In 2019 Pereira and his wife emigrated to the U.S. to continue their chemistry studies and become researchers at 麻豆原创. He joined Dr. Santra鈥檚 lab in 2020 and is currently a graduate research assistant and working toward his Ph.D. Pereira hopes that his accomplishments will inspire young Hondurans to pursue higher education and choose research as a career.
Technology Available for License
To learn more about Santra鈥檚 work and additional potential licensing or sponsored research opportunities, contact Andrea Adkins at (407) 823-0138.
