Silver Oxysalt Impregnated Hydrogels

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Ag oxysalts® is a novel antimicrobial silver technology but it is moisture and water sensitive. It is difficult to apply Ag oxysalts® to any hydrogel matrix due to the long time that the formulation must stay in aqueous medium prior to use (ie during shipping, etc). This project will overcome this limitation through encapsulating the Ag oxysalts® in polymers that can also be used as hydrogels. Previous work from Exciton has focused upon the encapsulation of Ag oxysalts® using biodegradable polymers (polylactic acid and polycaprolactone) for the express purpose of enhancing its stability (ie. decrease in degradation due to exposure to moisture). To date, no work has been done using hydrogel materials for this purpose. Due to the wide range of application of hydrogels, it is thought that developing this platform technology will allow for new product development. In particular, due to the presence of a contact lens manufacturer in Alberta, one area of application for this work is translating Ag oxysalts® capabilities to contact lens use through developing hydrogel formulations. Exciton Technologies is a Canadian advanced research, development, and manufacturing company specializing in the commercialization of antimicrobial silver technology for medical applications. Exciton Technologies is delivering a more effective antimicrobial silver technology through patented exsalt® platform at a significantly lower cost to competing products. With FDA approval, two exsalt® wound dressings are now available with extensive benefits over competitive antimicrobial products. Exciton's exsalt® silver oxysalts technology safely delivers the most active compound of silver containing all three chemical states (+1,+2,+3) to prevent infection and eliminate bacteria. But, stability of Ag oxysalts® is a major persistent problem and it limits the applications of Ag oxysalts® due to moisture/water sensitivity.