Abstract:
This research focuses on tribological modelling of compliant contacts within the human body, with a particular emphasis on developing medical products based on hyaluronic acid. Collaborative efforts are directed towards creating reliable tribological models of the eye, fascia, and skin, leading to innovative treatments for e.g., dry eye syndrome and low back pain.

Main objectives:

• To develop accurate and reliable tribological models for the eye, fascia, and skin.

• To determine the optimal properties of pharmaceutical raw materials for eye drops treating dry eye syndrome, based on bio tribological experiments.

• To develop a medical product for treating low back pain through the study of hyaluronic acid derivatives.

Research content:
The research primarily investigates the tribological behaviour of lubricated soft tissue contacts, such as the interaction between the eyeball and eyelid, skin with everyday objects, and the contact between individual fascia layers. In collaboration with the biotechnology company Contipro, a.s., significant progress has been made in developing a pharmaceutical raw material based on hyaluronic acid for eye drops aimed at treating dry eye syndrome. This work began with the development of a tribological model of the eye, which was used to study the effects of artificial tear compositions on friction coefficients, while simultaneously measuring tear film thickness using fluorescence microscopy on a custom-designed simulator. The findings from this research led to the creation of a functional sample of a hyaluronic acid derivative, which is now being commercialized for use in artificial tears.

In parallel with the eye-focused research, the study also explored the friction and lubrication properties of fascia with hyaluronan, contributing to the development of a prototype medical product for low back pain treatment, again in collaboration with Contipro, a.s. This phase of the research involved the development of a tribological model of fascia, with final experiments conducted on prepared rabbit fascia. The outcome of this research is a hyaluronan-based medical device, commercially named Fascigel, designed for injection into the thoracolumbar fascia, which is currently undergoing clinical trials. This work represents a significant step forward in the application of tribological principles to the development of innovative medical products that address common health issues.

Publications:
ČERNOHLÁVEK, M.; BRANDEJSOVÁ, M.; ŠTĚPÁN, P.; VÁGNEROVÁ, H.; HERMANNOVÁ, M.; KOPECKÁ, K.; KULHÁNEK, J.; NEČAS, D.; VRBKA, M.; VELEBNÝ, V.; ANGELES, G. Insight into the Lubrication and Adhesion Properties of Hyaluronan for Ocular Drug Delivery. Biomolecules, 2021, vol. 11, no. 10, p. 1431-1431. ISSN: 2218-273X. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom11101431

NEČAS, D.; KULÍŠEK, V.; ŠTĚPÁN, P.; ONDREÁŠ, F.; ČÍPEK, P.; HUERTA-ANGELES, G.; VRBKA, M. Friction and Lubrication of Eye/Lens/Lid Interface: The Effect of Lubricant and Contact Lens Material. Tribology Letters, 2023, vol. 71, no. 4, p. 118-118. ISSN: 1023-8883. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-023-01787-4

STREĎANSKÁ, A.; NEČAS, D.; VRBKA, M.; SUCHÁNEK, J.; MATONOHOVÁ, J.; TOROPITSYN, J.; HARTL, M.; KŘUPKA, I.; NEŠPOROVÁ, K. Understanding frictional behavior in fascia tissues through tribological modeling and material substitution. Journal of the mechanical behavior of biomedical materials, 2024, vol. 155, no. 7, p. 106566-106566. ISSN: 1751-6161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmbbm.2024.106566

Partners and Collaboration:
Contipro, a. s., Dolní Dobrouč 401, 561 02 Dolní Dobrouč, Czech Republic.

Projects:
Research and development of pharmaceutical ingredient to artificial tears for the treatment of dry eye syndrome, Technology Agency of the Czech Republic – TREND industrial research and experimental development programme, FW01010060, 2020-2023.

Fascia lubrication and regeneration by hyaluronan, Operational Programme Enterprise and Innovations for Competitiveness – Application,, CZ.01.1.02/0.0/0.0/19_262/0020005, 2020-2022.

Contact person:
prof. Ing. Martin Vrbka, Ph.D.