I-Corps: Peptide-Enabled Dental Technologies

该项目旨在将一种名为ADP5的工程化多肽商业化，这种多肽可以快速催化牙齿的再矿化。这种多肽及其衍生物被认为是一系列牙科产品的活性成分，将极大地改善牙齿护理。ADP5是通过使用多肽文库进行生物组合选择得到的，然后通过生物信息学设计使用矿化牙齿组织中自然产生的生物矿化蛋白进行定制。现有的牙科保健产品要么不足以修复矿物质流失，这是主要的牙齿健康问题的基础，要么只掩盖了矿物质流失造成的副作用，如过敏。基于i-Corps团队之前的跨学科研究，涉及分子生物学、牙周学、生物信息学和材料科学，现在已经证明设计一种能够逆转和修复脱矿牙面的多肽是可能的。尽管在公共供水中广泛使用氟化物，但在老龄化人口和接触高糖饮食的儿童中，龋齿和牙齿过敏仍然是一个普遍的卫生保健问题。如果成功，生物矿化多肽的广泛使用可以预防和治疗早期龋齿，此外，还可以用于过敏性牙齿，以促进再矿化，从而修复通过开放的牙管暴露神经的区域。通过这个i-Corps计划，该团队的最终目标是为一家可行的牙科保健产品初创公司制定一个商业化计划。通过i-COPS课程，该团队的目标是首先确定牙科护理领域具有商业可行性的产品线，发展商业合作伙伴网络(在产品开发和许可方面)，并接受商业化概念方面的培训(例如，确定潜在客户，如牙科诊所和消费品公司；建立互动网络；以及为成立初创公司开发商业计划画布)。

This project aims to commercialize an engineered peptide, ADP5, that rapidly catalyzes remineralization of the teeth. This peptide and its derivatives are envisioned to be the active ingredients in a broad-range of dental products that will drastically improve dental care. ADP5 was derived through biocombinatorial selection using peptide libraries and then tailored via bioinformatic design using naturally occurring biomineralization proteins in mineralized dental tissues. Existing products in dental care are either inadequate in restoring the mineral loss, the basis of major dental health problems, or only mask the side effects caused by the loss of mineral, such as hypersensitivity. Based on the I-Corps' team's previous interdisciplinary research, involving molecular biology, periodontics, bioinformatics, and materials science, designing a peptide that is capable of reversing and repairing demineralized tooth surfaces has now been proven possible. In spite of widespread use of fluoride in public water supplies, dental caries and hypersensitive teeth remain a prevalent health care problem in both the aging population as well as in children exposed to high sugar diets. If successful, the widespread use of biomineralization peptides could prevent and treat early stage dental caries and, in addition, can be used on hypersensitive teeth to promote remineralization, thus repairing areas where the nerves are exposed via open dental tubules. The team's ultimate goal, through this I-Corps program, is to develop a commercialization plan for a viable start-up company for dental health products. Through the I-Cops curriculum, the team aims first to identify commercially-viable product lines in dental care, develop a network of commercial partners (in product development as well as licensing), and get trained on the commercialization concepts (e.g., identifying potential customers such as dental clinics and consumer product companies; establishing a network of interactions; and developing a business plan canvas for the formation of a startup company.