I-Corps: Bioresorbable drug delivery patch for the localized treatment of Crohn's Disease

I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种治疗克罗恩病相关狭窄的新疗法的潜力。大约75万美国人被诊断患有克罗恩病，高达50%的克罗恩病患者在诊断出结构状况后的10年内可能需要至少一次手术切除。然而，手术方法存在一些问题，包括潜在的术后发病率、可能较差的生活质量和较高的失业风险，并且手术后疾病复发很常见，50-60%的患者需要再次手术。目前在胃肠病学领域还没有一种广泛使用的保留肠道的治疗方法。典型的客户是治疗克罗恩病合并狭窄患者的胃肠内科医生。这种医生通常在学术医院或私人诊所工作，并代表他或她的病人向医疗保险公司支付治疗费用。I-Corps项目的基础是开发一种新的治疗方法，这种治疗方法可能比目前市场上现有的治疗方法更有效地治疗克罗恩病相关的狭窄。具体来说，目前克罗恩病狭窄的非手术治疗现状是内镜下球囊扩张，依靠机械力拉伸打开肠梗阻。所提出的技术可能会开发出一种直接作用于狭窄部位的生物递送疗法，通过生物降解以一种时间控制的方式分泌抗炎药物。该技术可以将传统但效果较差的全身性药物转化为一种平台疗法，提供更长时间和更局部的治疗，可能为克罗恩病狭窄等疾病提供替代治疗方案。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 potential development of a novel therapy for Crohn's disease-related strictures. Approximately 750,000 Americans are diagnosed with Crohn's disease, and up to 50% of patients with Crohn's may require at least one surgical resection within 10 years of diagnosis for the structuring condition. However, the surgical approach has concerns including potential post-surgical morbidities, possible poorer quality of life, and a higher risk of unemployment, and disease recurrence with surgery is common, with 50-60% of patients needing re-operations. There is currently not a widely used intestinal-retentive therapeutic within the field of gastroenterology. A typical customer is a gastroenterology physician treating patients with Crohn's disease complicated by strictures. This physician generally works for an academic hospital or a private practice and bills a healthcare insurance company for therapy on behalf of his or her patients.This I-Corps project is based on the development of a novel therapeutic that may offer an improved effective therapy for Crohn's disease-related strictures than options currently available on the market. Specifically, the status quo for non-surgical treatment of Crohn's disease strictures is endoscopic balloon dilation, which relies on mechanical force to stretch open intestinal blockages. The proposed technology may develop a biologic delivery therapeutic that acts directly at the site of stricture, potentially secreting anti-inflammatory pharmaceuticals in a time-controlled manner through biodegradation. The proposed technology may allow for repurposing traditional, but lesser effective systemic pharmaceuticals, into a platform therapy that delivers longer and more localized therapies that may unlock alternate treatment options for conditions such as Crohn's disease strictures.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.