WPI researcher receives $606K to study kombucha-related discovery

Photo | Matthew Burgos courtesy of Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester Polytechnic Institute researcher Jeannine Coburn

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By Timothy Doyle

Worcester Polytechnic Institute researcher Jeannine Coburn was granted $606,146 from the National Science Foundation to develop a transparent wound dressing with its roots in a home culinary project.

“This project began in my kitchen years ago, when I opened a jar of kombucha that I had been making and discovered an optically clear membrane on top of the liquid,” Coburn said in a Tuesday press release from WPI. “That observation led to research in my laboratory to better understand this material and its potential to improve human health.”

Coburn’s five-year project will work to attach antimicrobial peptides to the cellulose that is produced by bacteria found in kombucha, vinegar, and other foods. This will create a stretchable, transparent wound covering to allow healthcare workers to inspect a wound without disturbing it.

The material would help patients who suffer chronic wounds, like diabetic skin ulcers, pressure sores, and surgical incisions.

As part of the project, Coburn will develop education and outreach activities to integrate her research into materials for both elementary school students in Worcester and undergraduate students at WPI. A faculty fellow in WPI’s First Generation Success Program, she will provide a paid summer research lab experience to one first-generation college student each year of the project, according to the press release.

“It’s important to me to work on projects that can improve human health,” Coburn said. “It’s also important to me, as a first-generation college graduate, to bring STEM to young students and help college students whose parents did not attend college find the academic role models, mentors, and supports they need to succeed.”