STTR Phase I: Nanoparticle-Assisted Laser Tissue Welding

这项关于纳米颗粒辅助激光组织焊接的小型企业技术转移(STTR)第一阶段项目将开发一种新的方法，将热量产生定向到伤口部位，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将组织连接起来，已经成为一种具有商业和临床吸引力的策略。然而，激光组织焊接的成功在一定程度上受到了限制，原因是(1)由于光学穿透率低而产生机械完整性差的表面焊缝；(2)对邻近组织的过度损伤。在一项初步研究中，将纳米贝壳应用于组织表面，并在激光波长和功率下形成稳定的焊缝，在未处理的组织中不会发生明显的加热。纳米壳是一种新型的工程纳米颗粒，可以设计成在组织吸收最小而光学穿透率最大的区域强烈吸收光，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，从而允许高度定向地应用关闭伤口所需的热量。该项目的商业应用将在外科实践中闭合伤口，如血管吻合、妇科手术、胸部手术、眼睛修复、软骨修复和肝脏修复。这项核心技术可能会在急救医学中有更多的商业应用

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