Biopolymers from hypoallergenic wheat gluten for biomedical and industrial applications

Overview

This research program develops renewable, biodegradable biopolymers from hypoallergenic wheat gluten, targeting biomedical applications including drug delivery, implant matrices, sutures, and wound dressings. The approach leverages fast-neutron radiation mutagenized wheat lines that are deficient in glutenin proteins containing epitopes responsible for triggering gluten-related disorders. By using gluten with reduced immunogenicity as the starting material, the resulting fibers offer a safer, plant-based alternative to conventional synthetic and animal-derived biomaterials. Wheat gluten is an abundant, low-cost feedstock, and preliminary data indicate that wheat gluten fibers exhibit properties comparable to wool while outperforming fibers derived from soy protein and zein.

Technical specifications

Key features:

• Gluten sourced from novel hypoallergenic wheat lines characterized using PCR, DNA and RNA sequencing, and 90K SNP arrays
• Backcrossed mutant lines with reduced background mutations to preserve agronomic performance
• Two fiber production methods evaluated: electrospinning (ES) and solution blow spinning (SBS)
• SBS offers a simpler, safer, and more cost-effective alternative to electrospinning for scaling fiber production
• Fibers are biodegradable and renewable, supporting sustainable manufacturing goals
• Micro and nanofiber formats suitable for diverse biomedical end uses

Technology readiness level

The hypoallergenic wheat lines have been developed and characterized at the genetic level, with backcrossing completed for most lines. Seeds are currently being increased in the field for agronomic and grain quality testing. Fiber spinning protocols adapted from published electrospinning methods are being optimized for solution blow spinning using existing ARS facility capabilities. Future work will systematically compare fiber properties from wild-type and mutant gluten sources to determine the influence of each mutation on fiber performance, advancing the technology toward broader biomedical and industrial application.