SBIR Phase I: Zwitterion self-assembly during evaporation process correlated to thin film mechanical function

这项小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响是有效治疗皮肤撕裂，如果处理不当，皮肤撕裂很可能成为复杂的慢性伤口，包括感染、疼痛和伤口愈合延迟，并给个人和护理机构带来健康和经济负担。皮肤撕裂伤每年影响至少190万住院患者，并且在高危人群、老年人和新生儿中有很高的复发概率。虽然经常被低估，但文献表明，皮肤撕裂的患病率与压迫性损伤相似。在美国的长期护理机构中，患病率为20%，皮肤撕裂主要发生在手臂（60%）和腿部（40%）。本研究旨在提供一种需要更少护理时间、减少疼痛、缩短愈合时间的皮肤撕裂治疗方法，从而提高患者的生活质量并节省治疗费用。据估计，美国皮肤撕裂治疗市场为6.46亿美元/年，其中44%（2.85亿美元/年）来自养老院、伤口护理诊所和家庭健康。通过这项研究开发的创新化学可以应用于其他医疗设备，分离膜和涂层/薄膜，以提供机械强度，防污或尺寸排除分离。该项目旨在研究一个前提，即含有两性离子的聚合物可以被创造出来，这种聚合物可以保留表皮样膜的特性，用于伤口愈合，并在蒸发成薄膜时表现出机械强度（例如，Saran™包裹状）。这些具有智力挑战性的目标中的每一个都是拟议的研发需要解决的技术障碍。研究结果将指导皮肤撕裂治疗产品的研究和后续开发。第一阶段的研究重点是合成和表征这种独特的含两性离子的成膜共聚物，其具体目标是合成两性离子聚合物，表征聚合物，确定聚合物的机械性能，并将形态与机械性能联系起来。本研究为聚合物的合成、两性离子自组装的掩蔽以及溶剂蒸发过程中两性离子自组装参数形成强聚合物膜提供了重要的可行性数据。由此产生的平台化学和知识体预计将被转化为皮肤撕裂治疗的伤口护理产品。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 of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to effectively treat skin tears, which when mismanaged, have a high propensity to become complex and chronic wounds involving infection, pain and delayed wound healing and impose health and financial burdens on individuals and care agencies. Skin tear injury effects at least 1.9 million institutionalized patients yearly and has a high probability to reoccur in high-risk categories, elderly and neonates. Though frequently under-reported, the literature suggests skin tears have a prevalence that is similar to pressure injuries. In USA long term care settings, the prevalence rate is 20% with skin tears principally on arms (60%) and legs (40%) occurring during daily routines. This research is to provide a skin tear treatment that requires less nursing time, reduces pain, and improves healing times resulting in improved patient quality of life and treatment cost savings. The estimated USA market for skin tear treatment is $646 million/year with 44% ($285 million/year) coming from nursing homes, wound care clinics and home health. The innovative chemistry developed through this research could be applied to other medical devices, separation membranes, and coatings/films to provide mechanical strength, anti-fouling, or size exclusion separation.The proposed project is to investigate the premise that zwitterion-containing polymers can be created that retain epidermal-like membrane properties for wound healing and demonstrate mechanical strength when evaporated as thin films (e.g., Saran™ wrap-like). Each of these intellectually challenging goals is a technical hurdle to be addressed by the proposed R&D. The research findings are to direct the research for and subsequent development of a skin tear treatment product. The Phase I research focus is to synthesize and characterize this unique class of film-forming copolymers that contain zwitterions - with specific objectives to synthesize zwitterionic polymers, characterize polymers, determine mechanical properties and correlate morphology to mechanical properties. This research is to provide vital feasibility data for polymer synthesis, masking of zwitterion self-assembly, and zwitterion self-assembly parameters during solvent evaporation to form a strong polymer film. The resulting platform chemistry and body of knowledge is anticipated to be translated into a wound care product for skin tear treatment.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.