SBIR Phase II: A Novel Antimicrobial Polymer for Medical Devices

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第二阶段项目旨在开发一种将银复合到导管基质中的抗菌聚合物技术，从而实现预计持续数月的抗菌作用。这种具有成本效益的抗菌聚合物技术可防止在长期植入性设备上形成表面生物膜，而不会产生细菌耐药性。这些感染的根本原因是导管的细菌定植，感染的可能性随着导管植入时间的增加而增加。目前，还没有低成本、长期的抗菌导管，因此拟议的技术将满足迫切需要的临床需求。该项目的更广泛/商业影响解决了美国28万例与导管相关的血流感染，这些感染每年造成超过30亿美元的额外医疗成本，导致8万人死亡。这项拟议的技术将帮助临床医生实现并维持零留置导管血流感染。价值12亿美元的植入式设备市场迫切需要内在的抗菌导管，从而消除了系统性抗生素治疗的需要。由于不需要执行昂贵的涂层程序，因此将导致具有成本效益的制造。这应该会导致一系列抗菌导管的快速商业化，特别是因为这些先进的导管将大大有助于降低结果成本。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project aims to develop an antimicrobial polymer technology with silver compounded into the catheter matrix, which allows for antimicrobial action expected to last several months. This cost-effective antimicrobial polymer technology prevents the formation of surface biofilms on long-term implantable devices, without generating bacterial resistance. The root cause of these infections is the bacterial colonization of the catheter, with the likelihood of infection increasing as a function of catheter implantation time. Currently, there are no low-cost, long-term antimicrobial catheters, thus the proposed technology would fill a much needed clinical demand.The broader/commercial impact of this project addresses the 280,000 catheter-related bloodstream infections in the U.S. that cost over $3 billion per year in excess healthcare costs, claiming 80,000 deaths. The proposed technology will help clinicians attain and sustain zero indwelling catheter bloodstream infections. The $1.2 billion implantable device market urgently needs inherently antimicrobial catheters, thus obviating the need for systemic antibiotic treatment. Since no expensive coating procedures have to be performed, it will lead to cost effective manufacturing. This should lead to rapid commercialization of a family of antimicrobial catheters, especially since these advanced catheters will significantly help to reduce outcome costs.