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

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目将为生产一种独特的细胞兼容的液体粘合绷带提供基础，这种绷带将促进伤口愈合。该项目基于水合两亲性聚合物的表面自由能与它们支持细胞功能的能力之间的关系，如生长和增殖、细胞外基质蛋白的沉积以及底物表面覆盖和形态的模式。目前商用的液体粘合绷带用于人体上的专业应用，用于各种伤口覆盖应用。然而，目前还没有商业上可供人类使用的液体粘合绷带，这种绷带既可以作为细胞基质，也可以保护伤口免受外来污染物的伤害。这项研究将确定各种两亲性聚合物的表面自由能，范围从高度亲水到高度疏水，然后将表面自由能数据与各自聚合物膜的细胞相容性关联起来。该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是创建一种新的医疗形式，用于急性伤口(例如手术部位、损伤)、慢性伤口(例如溃疡)和烧伤伤口，使用能够促进组织再生的简单、低成本、紧密保形的保护性聚合物涂层材料。这种涂层将作为一种合成皮肤替代品发挥作用，使伤口能够迅速愈合，而不会受到细菌和其他微生物等外部污染，因为它能够促进细胞黏附和增殖。重要的是，随着伤口愈合，这种聚合物涂层会随着时间的推移自动移除，而不是典型的绷带，手动移除会导致新的组织磨损和破裂。该项目将展示如何在局部伤口护理中增强液体粘合绷带和合成皮肤替代品的细胞相容性，从而减少患者的痛苦并降低国家的医疗保健成本。这种产品的商业影响将改变局部伤口治疗的游戏规则，因为未来的材料应该促进健康的组织再生。

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.