SBIR Phase I: Permanent Attachment of Antimicrobial Peptides to Central Venous Catheters.

这项小型企业创新研究第一阶段的研究针对的是医院感染，目前在美国，医院感染目前困扰着170万患者，导致9.9万人死亡，其中大部分与医疗设备有关。医疗器械为细菌的生长提供了表面，当穿透皮肤时，还为外部细菌进入血液提供了一条途径。如果这些感染到达血液，他们会将平均住院时间从5.4天延长到20天，治疗费用高达5万美元。现有的抗菌涂层利用金属或其他抗生素的缓慢释放，其使用寿命有限，并由于活性物质在血液中的分布而增加了对细菌耐药性的担忧。相比之下，SteriCoat正在开发一种涂层，在这种涂层中，抗菌剂将永久附着在医疗设备上，同时提供抗菌保护。这种高活性、永久性抗菌涂层SteriCoat技术的开发将产生更广泛的影响，通过与现有的缓释涂层相比，以更少的副作用和更高的效率防止感染，从而帮助降低这些人力和经济成本。这项技术的新颖性和商业潜力已经通过诸如麻省理工学院100K大赛和牛津大学商业计划竞赛的第一名等奖项在整个企业界得到了认可。SteriCoat将首先生产涂层中心静脉导管，这种涂层在美国的市场价值约为3.5亿美元，但这种高度通用的涂层可以应用于任何大小、形状或材料的设备，导致一系列后续产品，以增加产品的商业可行性和产品对国家健康的影响。

This Small Business Innovation Research phase I research addresses hospital infections which currently afflict 1.7 million patients and kill 99,000 in the US annually, the majority of which are associated with medical devices. Medical devices provide a surface for bacterial growth and, when penetrating the skin, a route for external bacteria to enter the bloodstream. If these infections reach the bloodstream, they lengthen average hospital stays from 5.4 to 20 days and cost up to $50,000 to treat. Existing antimicrobial coatings, which utilize the slow release of metals or other antibiotics, have a limited lifespan and increase concerns of bacterial drug resistance due to the distribution of active agent in the bloodstream. In contrast, SteriCoat is developing a coating in which the antimicrobial agent remains permanently attached to the medical device while providing antimicrobial protection. The broader impact of this development of a highly active, permanent antimicrobial coating, SteriCoat technology will be to help reduce these human and economic costs by preventing infection with fewer side effects and greater efficacy than existing, slow release coatings. The novelty and commercial potential of this technology has been recognized throughout the entrepreneurial community through awards such as first place in both the MIT 100K and the Oxford University business plan competitions. SteriCoat will first produce coated central venous catheters, which have a US market of approximately $350 million, but this highly versatile coating can be applied to devices of any size, shape, or material, leading to a host of follow on products to increase the commercial viability of the product and the impact of the product on the nation's health.