The price of the polymer is still considered too high for many fibre applications and ultimately Biopol might be produced by plants. Zeneca seeds are experimenting with a genetically engineered variety of grape which can synthesise Biopol.

Other biopolymers currently of particular interest in wound-healing applications include the polysaccharides chitin, alginate, dextran and hyaluronic acid. Chitin and its derivative chitosan are important components of fungal cell walls although these polymers are, at present manufactured from sea food (shellfish) wastes. Patents taken out by the Japanese company Unitika cite the use of fibres made out of chitin in wound dressings.

At BTTG, research has been directed towards the use of intact fungal filaments as a direct source of chitin or chitosan fibre to produce inexpensive wound dressings and other novel materials.

Wound dressings based on calcium alginate fibres have already been developed by Courtaulds and are marketed under the trade name 'Sorbsan'. Present supplies of this polysaccharide rely on its extraction from brown seaweed's. However, a polymer of similar structure can also be produced by fermentation from certain species of bacteria.