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

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力将是为心脏组织工程开发3D打印的氧气产生设备。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%的美国人将患上心脏问题，每年的成本约为20亿美元。目前的护理标准是器官移植，它受到器官和捐赠者短缺的困扰，价格昂贵，需要终身免疫抑制。或者，使用组织工程(TE)解决心脏问题的治疗也是可能的。TE受到氧气和营养供应不足导致的大尺寸和3D结构中的组织死亡的限制。正在开发的技术旨在解决这一问题，以推动TE作为心脏修复的治疗方案。这个I-Corps项目基于开发一种自产氧生物材料和一种生物兼容的电化学设备，旨在为组织工程应用生成氧气。这个装置的设计将被打印成3D心脏组织结构，其中氧气的产生能力将防止支架中心的细胞死亡。这是目前组织工程学应用于心肌修复的主要障碍。这项创新预计将降低器官替换成本和术后免疫抑制和护理成本。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能应用于其他生物医学应用，包括传感器、执行器和其他医疗设备。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.