I-Corps: Synthetic secretions

I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发合成粘蛋白（黏液类似物），以影响护肤、医疗保健和材料行业。最初，合成黏液将被开发为抗衰老、保湿护肤成分，并将取代从动物身上提取的天然黏液。重要的是，这些合成方法可能允许合成具有不同材料和生物特性的多种粘蛋白类似物。在开发用于护肤的合成粘蛋白之后，该团队将开发用于透皮输送、生物相容性润滑和手术粘合剂的材料。黏液的合成类似物有助于理解黏液在消化、呼吸和免疫系统中的作用。其他更广泛的影响包括成立一家新的总部设在美国的高科技材料制造公司，为粘蛋白创造新的市场，并提供无毒的皮肤护理、医疗保健和生物医学解决方案，这些都是没有其他合适替代品的。这个I-Corps项目是基于模拟动物粘液结构和特性的合成材料的开发。动物分泌不同的粘液具有多种功能，包括润滑、水合作用和黏附作用。该团队最近开发了一种蜗牛黏液的合成模拟物，可以替代目前用于保湿护肤产品的蜗牛黏液滤液。合成粘蛋白是一种水溶性糖基化多肽，可以在公斤级上生产。目前，合成粘蛋白只能以毫克为单位生产，或者其化学成分不能完全模仿天然粘蛋白的成分或性质。所提出的技术代表了一种可扩展的糖基化多肽合成，该合成重现了蜗牛粘蛋白的所有显著结构和物理特征。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 is the development of synthetic mucins (analogs of mucus) to impact the skincare, healthcare, and materials industries. Initially, the synthetic mucus will be explored as anti-aging, moisturizing skincare ingredients, and will replace natural mucins derived from animals. Importantly, the synthetic methods may allow for the synthesis of diverse mucin analogs, with varying material and biological properties. Following the development of synthetic mucins for skincare, the team will develop materials for transdermal delivery, biocompatible lubrication, and surgical adhesives. The synthetic analogs of mucus can aid in understanding the role of mucus in digestive, respiratory, and immune systems. The additional broader impacts include launching a new US-based, high-tech material manufacturing company, creating new markets for mucins, and providing nontoxic skincare, healthcare, and biomedical solutions, where no other adequate alternative exists.This I-Corps project is based on the development of synthetic materials that mimic the structures and properties of animal mucus. Animals secrete different mucus for a variety of functions, including lubrication, hydration, and adhesion. The team has recently developed a synthetic analog of snail mucin that is a substitute for the snail mucus filtrate currently used in hydrating skincare products. The synthetic mucin is a water-soluble glycosylated polypeptide that can be produced on the kilogram scale. Currently, synthetic mucins are only produced on the milligram scale or have chemical compositions that do not fully mimic the composition or properties of the natural mucins. The proposed technology reresenets a scalable synthesis of a glycosylated polypeptide that re-creates all the salient structural and physical characteristics of snail mucins.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.