Translation of an innovative microgel technology for improving swallowing in the elderly

由于唾液流动/润滑减少/缺乏，英国至少有1000万人受到口干的影响，主要是老年人。口腔干燥主要是由与年龄相关的慢性/神经变性疾病和多种药物引起的，它显著增加了龋齿、牙周病、念珠菌病、口腔溃疡和吞咽困难的风险，所有这些都会对老年人的营养状况和生活质量产生不利影响。市面上有很多唾液液替代品，但由于它们的润滑性能差，没有一种能提供持久的缓解，因此患者不得不整天反复使用口腔喷雾剂才能进食。随后的营养不良影响了130万65岁以上的老人，每年造成73亿英镑的损失。我们最近为口腔干燥患者申请了一项创新的、高度润滑的唾液替代品专利，与目前市场上销售的唾液替代品和自然润滑的人类唾液相比，它提供了95%以上的有效润滑和50%以上的缓解期。我们的技术形成一种粘性流体膜，滋润/润滑口腔（由于水包覆的生物聚合物水凝胶，提高了润滑的水合作用），并在摄入后吸附在人的舌头/上颚（由于有效吸附的蛋白质微凝胶，持久的水合作用）。除了技术发展，我们还展示了规模化的可行性和法规遵从性。我们的新型润滑剂将克服市场上销售的水性润滑剂性能不佳的瓶颈，并必将有助于解决老年人长期面临的吞咽问题。该合同将允许进行进一步的原理验证工作，包括制造符合安全标准的医疗设备，评估其成本，并建立一个强大的商业案例。

Dry mouth, due to a reduction/absence of salivary flow/lubricity, affects at least 10 million people in the UK, predominantly elders. Largely driven by age-related chronic/neurogenerative diseases and polypharmacy, oral dryness significantly increases the risk of dental caries, periodontal diseases, candidiasis, oral ulceration, and dysphagia - all of which adversely impact the nutritional status and quality of life of elderly people. Numerous salivary replacers are commercially available, but none offers long-lasting relief due to their poor lubrication properties, thus forcing sufferers to use mouth spray repeatedly all day long to be able to eat. Subsequent malnutrition, which affects 1.3 million over-65s, results in a £7.3 billion annual loss.We have recently patented an innovative, highly lubricating saliva substitute for dry mouth sufferers, which offers 95% more effective lubrication and a 50% longer relief period than both currently marketed saliva-replacing products and the naturally lubricating human saliva. Our technology forms a viscous fluid film that moistens/lubricates the mouth (lubricity-improving hydration thanks to the water-encapsulating biopolymeric hydrogel) and stays adsorbed onto the human tongue/palate following ingestion (long-lasting hydration thanks to the efficiently adsorbing proteinaceous microgel). Besides technical development, we have demonstrated up-scaling feasibility and regulatory compliance.Our novel lubricant will overcome the bottleneck of the sub-optimal performance of marketed aqueous lubricants, and will surely contribute to addressing the long-standing swallowing issues faced by elders. This award will allow conducting further proof-of-principle work, including manufacturing a safety compliant medical device, assessing its cost, and building a robust business case.