SBIR Phase I: Prevention of Fibrosis of Peritoneal Hydrogel Implants

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将开发抑制和/或防止腹膜水凝胶植入物纤维化的技术。BioHybrid Technologies的微反应器是一种基于水凝胶的缓释装置，其中含有制造和分泌治疗物质的活细胞。通过包封来自原代分离株、细胞系或干细胞的适当细胞；BioHybrid公司的微反应器可用于多种疾病的治疗。这些微反应器已被证明可以保护细胞免受细胞和体液免疫。然而，目前的设计仍然容易导致细胞过度生长，导致微反应器内细胞窒息，最终导致微反应器失效。该项目的目的是确定(1)微反应器中包含的抗纤维化剂或系统使用的抗纤维化剂是否可以抑制微反应器的纤维化，以及(2)对微反应器进行几何改变是否会使其减少纤维化。控制或消除宿主对这种微反应器的纤维化反应的能力将代表这一有前途的技术的重大进步。这可能是最后一个必须克服的障碍，最终将BioHybrid的微反应器技术带入临床。预计该项目的商业应用将立即产生重大影响。BioHybrid Technologies微反应器技术的最终改进可能会导致大量人类疾病治疗的实质性改进，包括糖尿病、阿尔茨海默氏症、肝功能衰竭、慢性疼痛、血友病、侏儒症、贫血、低钙血症、ALS、帕金森氏症、癫痫、亨廷顿氏症、脊髓损伤、中风、肾衰竭、免疫缺陷等。这些疾病的商业市场是巨大的，仅在美国就有数十亿美元。这项技术带来的治疗方面的改进将降低医疗保健成本，并使其他技术能够利用治疗物质输送方面的进步。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I Project will develop the technology to inhibit and / or to prevent the fibrosis of peritoneal hydrogel implants. BioHybrid Technologies' microreactors are hydrogel-based sustained-release devices containing living cells that manufacture and secrete therapeutic substances. By encapsulating the appropriate cells derived from primary isolates, cell lines or stem cells; BioHybrid's microreactors can be geared to the treatment of a large variety of diseases. These microreactors have been shown to protect the cells from cellular and humoral immunity. However, the current design is still prone to cellular overgrowth, resulting in suffocation of cells within the microreactor and ultimately leading to microreactor failure. The objectives of this project are to determine (1) if anti-fibrotic agents included in the microreactors or those used systemically can inhibit fibrosis of microreactors, and (2) if geometric changes made to the microreactors will render them less fibrogenic. The ability to control or to eliminate the host fibrotic reaction to such microreactors would represent a major advance in this promising technology . This is likely to be the last hurdle that must be overcome to finally bring BioHybrid's microreactor technology into the clinic.The commercial applications of this project are expected to be immediate and significant. The final refinement in BioHybrid Technologies' microreactor technology is likely to lead to substantial improvements in treatment for a large number of human diseases including diabetes, Alzheimer's, liver failure, chronic pain, hemophilia, dwarfism, anemia, hypocalcemia, ALS, Parkinson's, epilepsy, Huntington's, spinal cord injuries, strokes, kidney failure, immunodeficiencies, and several others. The commercial market for these diseases is huge, measuring in billions of dollars in the U.S. alone. The therapeutic improvements that would result from this technology will lower healthcare costs and enable other technologies that can take advantage of the advances in therapeutic substance delivery.