I-Corps: Self-oxygen generating biomaterial and a biocompatible electrochemical device to generate oxygen for tissue engineering

I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力将是开发用于心脏组织工程的3D打印氧气生成设备。心血管疾病仍然是美国和世界各地的头号死亡原因。美国心脏协会的一项研究表明，到2035年，近45%的美国人将出现心脏问题，每年花费约20亿美元。目前的治疗标准是器官移植，但器官和供体短缺、费用昂贵、需要终生免疫抑制等问题困扰着移植。另外，利用组织工程（TE）来解决心脏问题也是可能的。在大尺寸和三维构造中，由于氧气和营养供应不足导致组织死亡，TE受到限制。正在开发的技术旨在解决这一问题，以推进TE作为心脏修复的治疗方案。这个I-Corps项目的基础是开发一种自产氧生物材料和一种生物相容性电化学装置，旨在为组织工程的应用产生氧气。该装置设计将被打印为3D心脏组织结构，其中氧气生成能力将防止支架中心的细胞死亡。这是目前组织工程在心肌修复中应用的主要障碍。这一创新有望降低器官替换费用和术后免疫抑制和护理费用。在不久的将来，这项技术可能会扩展到其他生物组织。正在开发的材料平台和设备设计也可以应用于其他生物医学应用，包括传感器、致动器和其他医疗保健设备。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project will be the development of a 3D printed, oxygen generating device for cardiac tissue engineering. Cardiovascular disease remains the number one reason for death in the US and across the world. An AHA study suggests that by 2035, nearly 45% of Americans will have developed cardiac problems that cost up about $2B per annum. The current standard of care is organ transplantation, which is beleaguered by a shortage of organs and donors, expensive, and requiring life-long immunosuppression. Alternatively, it may be possible to address the treatment of cardiac problems using tissue engineering (TE). TE is limited by tissue death in large-sized and 3D constructs brought about by inadequate oxygen and nutrient supply. The technology under development is aimed at solving this problem to advance TE as a treatment solution for cardiac repair.This I-Corps project is based on the development of a self-oxygen generating biomaterial and a biocompatible electrochemical device designed to generate oxygen for the application of tissue engineering. This device design will be printed as 3D cardiac tissue structures, wherein the oxygen generation ability will prevent cell death in the scaffold center. This is currently the primary impediment for the use of tissue engineering in myocardial repair. The innovation is expected to reduce both organ replacement costs and post-operative costs for immune-suppression and care. In the near future, the technology may be extended to other biological tissues. The material platform and device design under development also may be applied to other biomedical applications, including sensors, actuators, and other healthcare devices.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.