TICKOTEX - Tick Repellent Multifunctional Protective Textile
Materials
ABSTRACT
The main objective of the project is the development of new multifunctional textile structures that include biological active
compounds extracted from plants, to prevent spreading of infectious diseases like Borreliosis. The biologicaly active
compounds will be encapsulated into polymeric matrices which will provide controlled release.
2014 Grants Mechanical Engineering
The tick-borne, multisystemic disease, Lyme borreliosis caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi became a major
public health problem in the Central and Eastern European countries. Over the last 30 years, the tick-borne encephalitis
(TBE) morbidity increased by 400%. Despite extensive researches to find treatment to heal Lyme infection, no cure was
found until now, up to 35% of the infected people not responding to treatment or relapsing in the shortest time-frame. In
fact, according to the World Health Organisation 35-58% of TBE patients suffer long-term neurological problems, such
as various cognitive or neuropsychiatric complaints, balance disorders, headache, dysphasia, hearing defects, and spinal
paralysis, and 2% die from the disease. The spirochetes that cause Lyme are stealth pathogens-they can hide within cells or
alter their form so that antibiotics cannot affect them. A tick bite may deliver not only Borrelia but also co-infections which
further complicate the treatment and increase the cost of Health Insurance System. As an example, in Germany, the expected
overall cost for analyses only is estimated to be at 51,215,105C every 2 years. People who live and work or vacation/
recreational activities in tick habitats are at obvious risk of acquiring tick-transmitted infections. Hence, the main objective
of the Ticotex project is to identify new active ingredients that will be suitable for impregnation into clothing textiles through
nanocapsulating them to enable controlled delivery of these bio friendly extracts.
Scientific and technological objectives are to be achieved with the effort of a multidisciplinary Consortium including SMEs
and research organizations representing the whole value chain from plant extraction, microencapsulation and repellent
textiles manufacturing.
Yrd. Doç. Dr.
Gül Bahar Başım Doğan
DEPARTMENT
Mechanical Engineering
CONTACT
[email protected]
FUNDING SCHEME
EUREKA
START DATE
2014
DURATION
36 months
OZU BUDGET
118,000,00 EUR
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