SBIR Phase I: Correlation of Surface Free Energy and Cytocompatibility of Amphiphilic Biomaterials

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将为生产一种独特的细胞相容性液体粘性绷带提供基础，这种绷带将促进伤口愈合。该项目基于水合两亲聚合物的表面自由能与其支持细胞功能的能力的相关性，例如生长和增殖，细胞外基质蛋白的沉积，以及基底表面覆盖和形态的模式。 目前市售的用于人类专业应用的液体粘性绷带用于各种伤口覆盖应用。然而，没有市售的可用于人类使用的液体粘性绷带，其用作细胞基质以及保护伤口免受外来污染物的影响。该研究将确定各种两亲聚合物的表面自由能，从高度亲水性到高度疏水性，然后将表面自由能数据与相应聚合物膜的细胞相容性相关联。 预期该方法将导致在窄范围的表面自由能中选择聚合物，其可以加速用于伤口愈合的组织再生。该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是创建用于急性伤口的新形式的医学治疗（例如，手术部位，损伤），对于慢性伤口（例如，溃疡）和用于烧伤伤口，其利用能够促进组织再生的简单、低成本、紧密适形的保护性聚合物涂层材料。这种涂层将用作合成皮肤替代物，其将允许伤口快速愈合，而没有外部污染，例如来自细菌和其他微生物的污染，因为其能够促进细胞粘附和增殖。重要的是，这种聚合物涂层将随着伤口愈合而随着时间自行去除，这与手动去除时可能导致新组织磨损和破裂的典型绷带形成对比。该项目将展示如何增强液体粘性绷带的细胞相容性，以及一般的合成皮肤替代品，可以在局部伤口护理中获得，从而减少患者的痛苦和减少这个国家的医疗保健费用。该产品的商业影响将改变局部伤口治疗的游戏规则，因为未来的材料应促进健康组织再生。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will provide the basis for producing a unique cytocompatible, liquid adhesive bandage that will facilitate wound healing. This project is based upon a correlation of surface free energy of hydrated, amphiphilic polymers and their ability to support cell functions, such as growth and proliferation, deposition of extracellular matrix proteins, and patterns of substrate surface coverage and morphology. Current commercially available liquid adhesive bandages for professional applications on humans are used in a variety of wound coverage applications. However, there is no liquid adhesive bandage commercially available for human use that serves as a cell substrate as well as protecting a wound from foreign contaminants. The research will determine the surface free energies of a variety of amphiphilic polymers, ranging from highly hydrophilic to highly hydrophobic, and then correlate the surface free energy data to the cytocompatibility of the respective polymer films. It is anticipated that this approach will result in a selection of polymers in a narrow range of surface free energies that can accelerate tissue regrowth for wound healing.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is the creation of a new form of medical treatment for acute wounds (e.g., surgery sites, injuries), for chronic wounds (e.g., ulcers) and for burn wounds utilizing a simple, low cost, intimately conformal, protective polymer coating material that is capable of facilitating tissue regeneration. Such a coating will function as a synthetic skin substitute that will allow wounds to heal rapidly, without external contamination, such as from bacteria and other microorganisms, because of its ability to facilitate cell adhesion and proliferation. Importantly, this polymer coating will self-remove over time as the wound heals, in contrast to typical bandages that can cause new tissue abrasion and rupture when manually removed. This project will demonstrate how enhanced cytocompatibility of liquid adhesive bandages, and synthetic skin substitutes in general, can be obtained in topical wound care, thus leading to a reduction of patient suffering and a reduction in this nation's health care costs. The commercial impact of this product will be game-changing for topical wound treatment in that future materials should facilitate healthy tissue regrowth.