Polymers of microbe origin, or biopolymers, have recently drawn increasing attention of specialists. Biopolymers that are auto destructible after some time have been developed by Russian researchers. Obtained with the help of bacteria, they are ideally suited for healthcare. These polymers have two important advantages. Firstly, they get destroyed in the environment and thus solve the problem of contamination. Secondly, being biocompatible they are not rejected by an organism when applied for medical purposes.

These are polymers of ox derivative fatty acids, the so-called polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). Some microorganisms, for example, hydrogen bacteria that get vital energy via oxidizing hydrogen, are able to synthesize PHAs. PHAs have a lot of advantages - their physicochemical characteristics, thermoplasticity, is the same as that of polypropylene and polyethylene, and they possess antioxidant and optical properties and piezoelectric effect. Besides, like any biopolymers, they are compatible with tissues of organism and get destroyed in the environment. That is why their application is promising for use in medicine (surgical and disposable materials), pharmacology (prolongation of drug action), food industry (packing and antioxidant materials), agriculture (destructible films).

Researchers first tested the polymer production technology in the laboratory and then in production environment. So far, the scientists can obtain three types of polymers: polyoxybutyrate and its copolymers with oxybutyrate and oxyvalerianate, but in the future the range of goods will increase. Within a week, 1 kilogram of polymer (or upto 50 kilograms pa) can be produced on the installation.
It is interesting to note that various articles need absolutely different rate of polymer biodegradation - suture threads and films should dissolve quickly, but stents and valve prostheses should serve for a long time. This is achieved by changing the degradation rate that depends on the surface type. Degradation rate can vary if different fillings are used, or it can be accelerated when needed through preliminary gamma irradiation. The researchers are mainly interested in PHA utilization for medical articles. Wound healing films, suture material, covering for vessel prostheses (stents), matrix for bioartificial organs and implantates, membranes, microparticles, etc from bio polymers are under production currently.

Biopolymers underwent tests on animals at the Scientific Research Institute of Transplantology and Bioartificial Organs (Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation). Trade mark of biomaterial - ElastoPOBtm - has been registered and clinical trials have been started. As per specialists, the current demand for polymers for medicine stands at 400,000 tons pa, therefore industrial production of destructible bioplastics is considered economically feasible. Based on the polymer's sale price of 95 rubles per kilogram, they have already calculated polymer's pay-back, return and profitability.