I-Corps: Development of an Antimicrobial Enzyme-Imbedded Bandage for Wound Care

这个I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种材料，这种材料可以被伤口激活，并持续产生天然抗菌剂过氧化氢，直到伤口凝结。与现有产品相比，该技术具有增强的杀菌强度，不使用传统抗生素（无耐药性问题），并可广泛杀灭病原体。一个示例性用户组是寻求消毒和保护以治疗轻度至中度擦伤、割伤和烧伤的医疗专业人员或人员。潜在客户包括治疗烧伤的医生、皮肤外科医生、初级保健医生和普通人群。除了伤口应用外，该技术还可适用于其他医疗产品的灭菌，例如，这个I-Corps项目是基于开发一种材料，该材料可以使用葡萄糖氧化酶（GOx）抑制皮肤表面上的细菌生长。该技术可以证实GOx单独或与其他材料如银纳米颗粒（AgNP）结合作为抗生素的替代物在防止伤口上细菌生长方面的可行性。所提出的使用GOx预防伤口感染的方法在酸性环境中显示出持续的功效，并且极大地改善了革兰氏阳性细菌和革兰氏阴性细菌的生长减少。初步数据显示，使用固定在纸膜上的GOx可显著降低细菌菌落形成单位（CFU）。预计GOx纸膜或GOx单独可以很容易地添加到绷带或其他材料中，形成抗菌伤口护理产品。该奖项反映了NSF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 is the development of a material that may be activated by the wound and continuously produce a natural antimicrobial, hydrogen peroxide, until the clotting of the wound. Compared with existing products, this technology has an enhanced sterilization strength, does not use traditional antibiotics (no resistance concern), and could broadly kill pathogens. An example group of users is medical professionals or personnel that seek sterilization and protection to treat mild to moderate abrasions, cuts, and burns. Potential customers include physicians treating burns, skin surgeons, primary care doctors, and general populations. Besides wound applications, the technology may be adapted for other medical products for sterilization, e.g., incorporation into the membranes of face masks.This I-Corps project is based on the development of a material that may inhibit bacterial growth on the surface of the skin using the enzyme glucose oxidase (GOx). This technology may confirm the viability of GOx alone or in conjunction with other materials such as silver nanoparticles (AgNP) as an alternative to antibiotics in preventing bacterial growth on wounds. This proposed approach of preventing wound infections using GOx shows continued efficacy in acidic environments, and greatly improves growth reduction in gram-positive bacteria and gram-negative bacteria. Preliminary data shows a significant reduction in bacterial colony forming units (CFU) using GOx that has been fixed to a paper membrane. It is expected that the GOx paper membrane or GOx alone could be easily added to bandages or other materials to form antimicrobial wound care products.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.