I-Corps: Translation Potential of Peptidic Ensembles as Novel Bio-adhesives

I-Corps项目的更广泛影响是开发基于氨基酸的生物粘合剂。使用低成本和高通量策略，该产品使用贻贝脚蛋白中发现的关键分子展示了粘合特性，该分子使贻贝能够牢固地粘附在海水中的表面上。这项技术有可能影响生物医学和生物塑料行业，不仅为用户创造更安全的产品，而且还改变了使用水而不是石油衍生的有机溶剂制造生物塑料材料的方式，后者通常具有高度反应性，易燃性，并具有健康危害。最后，由于材料的基本性质（例如，该生物粘合剂可用于多种生物表面，并可用于伤口愈合、牙科填充和外科胶水。该I-Corps项目利用体验式学习，结合对行业生态系统的第一手调查，评估该技术的转化潜力。该解决方案是基于开发刺激响应肽材料和具有可调节内部结构的凝聚体。 酶响应肽可以被设计为粘附到细胞表面，并且具有特定序列的肽可以自组装并控制酶响应的动力学。与此相结合，可以设计最小化的肽来控制凝聚体的内部结构。在这个项目中，肽凝聚体和酶反应肽分别作为粘合剂和增塑剂。由于原材料是基于生物的，因此产品受益于生物相容性和可持续性。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 of this I-Corps project is the development of amino acid-based bio-adhesives. Using low-cost and high throughput strategies, this product demonstrates adhesive properties using a key molecule found in mussel foot proteins which allows mussels to adhere strongly to surfaces in seawater. This technology has the potential to impact the biomedical and bioplastic industry, not only in creating a safer product for the users, but also transforming the way bioplastic materials are manufactured using water instead of petroleum-derived organic solvents which are often highly reactive, flammable, and have health hazards. Finally, since the fundamental properties of the material (e.g., surface specific adhesion and viscosity) are tunable, the bio-adhesive can be used on multiple biological surfaces and used for wound healing, dental fillings, and surgical glues.This I-Corps project utilizes experiential learning coupled with a first-hand investigation of the industry ecosystem to assess the translation potential of the technology. The solution is based on the development of stimuli-responsive peptidic materials and coacervates with modulable internal structure. Enzyme-responsive peptides can be designed to adhere to cell surfaces and peptides with specific sequences can self-assemble and control the kinetics of enzyme responsiveness. Coupled to this, minimalistic peptides can be designed to control the internal structure of coacervates. In this project, peptidic coacervates and enzyme responsive peptides act as adhesives and plasticizers, respectively. As the source materials are biologically-based, the products benefit from biocompatibility and sustainability. The tunability a water-based adhesive with dynamic internal structure allows potential access to a variety of biological surfaces.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.