Direct Deposition of Polymer Fibers for Use as a Surgical Sealant

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 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Tissue reconstruction and closure of incisions and wounds is pertinent to almost all surgical interventions and traumatic injuries. This project aims to develop a medical sealant that reduces cost, inflammatory response and disease transmission risk, while improving procedural outcomes. Current clinical options suffer from a combination of high cost, poor material properties, and biocompatibility issues. Utilizing a technique called solution blow spinning, polymer fibers can be deposited directly onto any surface. Solution blow spinning has the potential to be a powerful tool in surgery and in biomaterials fabrication. The overall objective of this proposal is to investigate the use of solution blow spun polymer blends of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) for use as a surgical sealant in an intestinal anastomosis model. The hypothesis for this research is: solution blow spun PLGA/PEG blends will have advantages over existing sealant strategies, leading to better surgical procedure outcomes. This proposal has been designed to utilize the complementary expertise and facilities at the University of Maryland's Functional Macromolecular Laboratory (UMD) and the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children's National. The Specific Aims of the proposed research are: 1. Adhesive optimization, characterization, and in vitro assessment 2. Polymer functionalization for improved adhesion and in vitro characterization 3. In vivo pre- clinical efficacy and biocompatibility of blow spun polymer sealants in acute and chronic pre-clinical models. This work aims to correlate material properties and deposition conditions to in vitro and in vivo efficacy, and will lead to greater insight into the development of effective surgical materials. Ultimately, successful development of the direct deposition of polymer fiber constructs using solution blow spinning onto any surface could lead to clinically translatable approaches in a diverse variety of surgical applications and in biomaterials fabrication.