I-Corps: Technology for processing lipoaspirate for plastic surgery and regenerative medicine

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种医疗设备，用于处理吸脂脂肪，作为人体内成人干细胞的来源，用于护理、美容和再生医学应用。脂肪移植是整形和整形外科医生进行的最常见和用途最广的外科手术之一。拟议的设备针对再生医学中需要自体干细胞(在同一人体内获得和使用)的所有方面的护理点疗法。拟议的装置可以在大约15分钟内处理大小体积的脂肪，而不使用有害化学物质。此外，它是一个封闭式系统，旨在提供可重复的处理，以产生用于移植和治疗应用的最高质量的脂肪，同时减少手术室时间和对特殊设备或技术人员的需求，使外科医生能够专注于患者，而不是脂肪处理。它可用于治疗骨性关节炎和糖尿病足部溃疡，用于患有严重血管疾病和难以获得护理的截肢候选人。该i-Corps项目基于开发一种医疗设备，以处理和部署用于治疗应用的脂肪组织和干细胞。为该平台开发的核心技术包括：准备设备，用于动态清洗脂肪组织，以去除肿胀的液体、血液和其他含水废物；乳化和微粉化设备，用于产生剪切力，将脂肪组织分解为较小的单位；以及过滤设备，用于去除大的脂肪碎片，并最大限度地提高细胞回收率。其目标是将所有这三个组件组合成一次性使用的墨盒，该墨盒将与可重复使用的平台集成，以创建一种工具，减少手术室或临床环境中所需的程序时间和人力，同时提高外科医生和患者的可靠性和临床结果。初步研究表明，拟议的平台产生了一种干细胞疗法，其生存能力和细胞计数与目前使用的标准相当。此外，数据显示，该设备还丰富了对组织恢复至关重要的干细胞种群，是市场上其他设备的3倍和4倍。这一奖项反映了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 is the development of a medical device for the processing of liposuction fat as a source of adult stem cells in the body for point-of-care aesthetic and regenerative medicine applications. Fat grafting is one of the most common and versatile surgical procedures performed by plastic and reconstructive surgeons. The proposed device targets point-of-care therapeutics in all aspects of regenerative medicine where autologous stem cells (derived and used within the same person) are required. The proposed device may enable the processing of large and small volumes of fat without the use of harmful chemicals in about 15 minutes. In addition, it is a closed system that is designed to provide reproducible processing to yield the highest quality fat for grafting and therapeutic applications, while reducing operating room time and the need for special equipment or technicians, allowing the surgeon to focus on the patient rather than fat processing. It may be used in applications such as the treatment of osteoarthritis, and diabetic foot ulcers in amputation candidates with severe vascular disease and poor access to care.This I-Corps project is based on the development of a medical device to process and deploy adipose tissue and stem cells for therapeutic applications. The core technologies developed for this platform include a preparation device, which dynamically washes fat tissue to remove tumescent fluid, blood, and other aqueous waste; an emulsification and micronization device, which generates shear forces to break down fat tissue into smaller units; and a filtration device, which removes large adipose fragments and maximizes cell recovery. The goal is to combine all three components into a single-use disposable cartridge that will integrate with a reusable platform to create a tool that decreases procedure time and manpower required in the operating room or clinical setting while improving reliability and clinical outcomes for the surgeon and the patient. Preliminary research has shown that the proposed platform generates a stem cell therapeutic with comparable viability and cell counts to the standards currently used. In addition, data show that the device also enriches stem cell populations critical to tissue recovery at 3 and 4 times the levels of other devices on the market.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.