Engineering Personalised Cutaneous Hypobaric Microchambers to Facilitate the Treatment of Local Infectious Diseases with Gaseous Signalling Molecules

植物释放几种挥发性含硫化合物作为应激反应。当科学家们用含硫气体模拟植物的这种反应时，他们抑制了水果表面真菌和细菌的生长。这些结果对食品保存具有重要意义，但除此之外，伦敦国王学院和巴斯大学的初步实验表明，这些气体可以抑制导致人类皮肤和指甲感染的生物体。尽管气体有可能被用作抗感染剂，但由于气体不容易通过呼吸道进入人体，因此很难在患者身上使用。然而，有报告指出，某些天然化学物质，例如，从大蒜中提取的大蒜素，可以在体内发生反应，释放出一种气体，可以用来向皮肤和指甲输送气体。现在需要一种医疗设备，可以控制化学供体释放的这些气体的输送，这样它们就可以有效地治疗人类感染。对组织施加正负压梯度可以控制气体的输送。例如，用于治疗COVID-19患者的持续气道正压通气（CPAP）机器，通过在正压下将气体推入体内，增加了血液中的氧气量。如果一种装置可以对皮肤施加负压，那么供体化学物质释放的气体将被释放并保持在应用部位，以靶向其释放并增强其功效。在这个项目中，伦敦国王学院的研究人员已经设计了一个定制的3D打印硅胶护套，该护套包含一个微室，可以在指甲表面容纳气体供体化学浸渍纱布，该护套将被改进并用于将硫化氢注入指甲，以治疗指甲感染。微室和纱布将根据要治疗的指甲的确切区域定制。这种新设备有可能治疗超过1亿被认为患有指甲疾病的人。该研究项目将开发一种新的治疗皮肤感染的范例。它将使用个性化的制造技术，通过市售台式3D打印机和数字3D扫描仪，为患者提供灵活性，以最友好的方式提供有效的治疗。该产品将是一种具有成本效益的解决方案，可以克服重大的健康问题，因为它有助于使用3D打印从医用级硅树脂材料制造定制医疗设备（商品总成本<50便士）。这种方法可以用于治疗其他皮肤感染，包括那些由慢性伤口和烧伤引起的感染。

Plants release several volatile sulphur-containing compounds as a stress response. When scientists mimicked this plant response using sulphur-containing gases they inhibited fungal and bacterial growth on the surface of fruit. These results have important implications on food preservation, but in addition preliminary experiments by the King's College London and the University of Bath have shown that these gases can inhibit organisms that cause human skin and nail infections. Despite the potential of gases to be used as anti-infective agents, it is difficult to use them with patients because gases do not readily pass into the body other than via the airways. However, reports have suggested that certain natural chemicals, e.g., allicin extract from garlic, can react once in the body to release a gas can be used to administer gases to the skin and nail. A medical device is now required that can control the deliver of these gases released by chemical donors such that they can effectively treat human infections.Applying positive and negative pressure gradients to tissues can control the delivery of gases. For example, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines used with COVID-19 patients, increased the amount of oxygen in the blood by pushing the gas into the body under positive presure. If a device can be made that exerts negative pressure on the skin, then the gas delivered by a donor chemical will be released and held at the site of application to target its deliver and enhance its efficacy. In this project, a customized 3D printed silicone sheath containing a microchamber that holds a gas donor chemical impregnated gauze on the nail surface, already designed by researchers at King's College London, will be refined and used to administer hydrogen sulphide to the nail for the treatment of nail infections. The microchamber and gauze will be customized to the exact region of the nail to be treated. This new device has the potential to treat over 100 million people who are thought to suffer from nail disease.This research project will develop a new treatment paradigm for cutaneous infections. It will use personalised fabrication techniques, via commercially available benchtop 3D printers and digital 3D scanners, to provide patients with the flexibility to have effective treatments provided in the most user-friendly manner possible. The product will be a cost-effective solution to overcome a significant health problem as it facilitates the fabrication of a bespoke medical device from medical grade silicone materials using 3D printing (total cost of goods <50p). This approach could be developed to treat other skin infections including those arising as a consequence of chronic wounds and burns.