STTR Phase I: Nanoparticle-Assisted Laser Tissue Welding

这个关于纳米颗粒辅助激光组织焊接的小企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目将开发一种新的方法，用于将热量产生瞄准伤口部位，从而实现更深，更均匀的焊接并减少组织损伤的程度。 激光组织焊接，通过光吸收产生的热量连接组织，已经成为商业和临床上有吸引力的策略。 然而，激光组织焊接的成功在某种程度上受到限制，这是因为：（1）由于低光学穿透，产生了机械完整性差的表面焊接;以及（2）对相邻组织的过度损伤。 在初步研究中，将纳米壳应用于组织表面，并在激光波长和功率下形成稳定的焊接，其中未处理组织中不会发生显著加热。 纳米壳是一类新的工程纳米颗粒，其可以被设计为在组织吸收最小且光学穿透最大的区域中强烈吸收光，即波长在800-1200 nm范围内。 在这些波长下，光可以以最小的加热深度穿透组织，并优先被伤口表面的纳米壳吸收，从而高度有针对性地应用闭合伤口所需的热量。该项目的商业应用将在伤口闭合的外科实践中，如血管吻合术，妇科手术，胸外科手术，眼部修复，软骨修复和肝脏修复。 核心技术可能在急诊医学中有额外的商业应用

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project on nanoparticle-assisted laser tissue welding will develop a novel approach for targeting heat generation to a wound site allowing deeper, more uniform welds and a reduction in the extent of tissue damage. Laser tissue welding, the joining of tissues by heat produced from light absorption, has emerged as a commercially and clinically attractive strategy. However, the success of laser tissue welding has been somewhat limited because of (1) generation of superficial welds with poor mechanical integrity due to low optical penetration; and (2) excessive damage to adjacent tissues. In a preliminary study, nanoshells were applied to tissue surfaces and stable welds were formed at laser wavelengths and powers where no significant heating would occur in untreated tissue. Nanoshells are a new class of engineered nanoparticles that can be designed to strongly absorb light in regions where absorption by tissue is minimal and optical penetration is maximal, namely wavelengths in the range of 800-1200 nm. At these wavelengths, light can deeply penetrate tissue with minimal heating and be preferentially absorbed at the nanoshells on the wound surface allowing highly targeted application of the heat required to close the wound.The commercial applications of this project will be in surgical practice for wound closure such as vascular anastamosis, gynecological surgery, thoracic surgery, ocular repair, cartilage repair and liver repair. The core technology may have additional commercial applications in emergency medicine