I-Corps: Polymer Lung Surfactants for Neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种治疗呼吸窘迫综合征(RDS)的新方法。这项技术使用了一种新型的治疗剂，称为聚合物肺表面活性物质。RDS是一种危及生命的疾病，主要发生在早产婴儿中。导致RDS的原因是婴儿S的肺中缺乏称为肺表面活性物质的化学物质。目前，RDS的标准治疗包括向患者S肺内注射动物来源的肺表面活性物质化合物。然而，这种动物衍生的治疗方法有重大缺陷：(1)采集过程存在致病原污染的风险；(2)这些传统的肺表面活性物质(含有易变性的蛋白质)需要复杂的输送程序，只有在有熟练的医疗专业人员和先进的护理设施的地方才能实施。由于这些因素，RDS仍然是一个严重的问题，特别是在欠发达国家。当前方法的这些重大缺陷为这里开发的新的聚合物肺表面活性物质技术提供了潜在的机会。这个i-Corps项目将开发一种全合成材料(聚合物)，作为治疗呼吸窘迫综合征(RDS)的昂贵脂类制剂的廉价替代品。肺表面活性物质通过降低肺泡表面张力，对S处理空气的能力起着至关重要的作用。对于潜在的肺表面活性物质的应用，已经确定了能够复制天然肺表面活性物质的表面张力降低特性的有前途的候选材料。这项研究将促进人们理解某些聚合物如何能够在动态压缩下产生极低的空气-水界面张力(类似于天然肺表面活性物质)，以及哪些分子因素对这些行为起作用。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a new method of treating Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS). This technology utilizes a new type of therapeutic agent, called ?polymer lung surfactants?. RDS is a life-threatening condition that occurs primarily in infants who are born prematurely. The cause of RDS is the lack of chemical compounds called lung surfactants in the infant?s lungs. Currently, the standard treatment for RDS involves injection of animal-derived lung surfactant compounds into the patient?s lung. However, this animal-derived treatment has major drawbacks: (1) the harvesting process carries the risk of pathogenic contamination; (2) these conventional lung surfactants (containing proteins susceptible to denaturation) require sophisticated delivery procedures that can only be practiced in locations where skilled healthcare professionals and advanced care facilities are available. Due to these factors, RDS remains a serious problem, particularly, in under-developed countries. These significant drawbacks of the current methods offers a potential opportunity for the new polymer lung surfactant technology developed here.This I-Corps project will develop a fully synthetic material (polymers) as a cheaper replacement for costly lipid-based formulations for treatment of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Lung surfactant plays a critical role in the lung?s ability to process air by lowering alveolar surface tension. For potential lung surfactant applications promising candidate materials have been identified that are capable of replicating the surface-tension-lowering properties of natural lung surfactants. The research will advance understanding of how certain polymers are able to produce extremely low air-water interfacial tensions under dynamic compression (similarly to the natural lung surfactant) and what molecular factors contribute to these behaviors.