EAGER: "Collaborative Research: Dynamic Melt Control for the Manufacture of Enhanced Polymer-Based Biomedical Devices"

摘要本EAGER奖的研究目标是为生物惰性和生物可降解聚合物体系开发有效的以分子取向为重点的新型加工科学。近年来，利哈伊大学开发了新的聚合物熔体操纵技术。这些技术诱导精心设计的聚合物熔体振荡，以在产品制造过程中以所需的方式排列聚合物分子。通过对所得生物聚合物产品的机械和细胞响应的耦合研究，将确保工艺优化。该项目将进一步提高熔体操作处理的有效性，以实现本地化产品质量控制，特别是针对与生物医学应用相关的聚合物。里海大学、弗吉尼亚理工学院和州立大学的跨学科研究团队将探索应用熔体操作条件与最终生物医学产品质量属性之间的联系。本研究的组成部分将探讨1)开发和评估实施动态熔体控制的新途径；2)能够可靠地调整重要的可生物降解聚合物产品质量特征，如在制造过程中通过动态熔体控制降解动力学；3)基于动态熔体控制的产品制造对血液-聚合物表面相互作用的影响程度。如果成功，这项研究的结果将使基于生物聚合物的医疗设备的开发和成本效益的制造成为可能，这些医疗设备具有机械、血液相互作用和生物可降解的特性，适合特定的生物医学应用。先进的材料加工技术的发展将使生产在大批量和低成本的环境。为了确保所提议的研究努力的社会相关性，将包括重要的工业参与和指导。该计划的更广泛的教育影响将通过纳入本科生而得到加强。此外，每年有许多初中生和高中生，其中大多数将来自代表性不足的少数民族，将作为两所大学与周边学区合作的既定和获奖项目的一部分，接触到这项研究。

0961071 and 096174 collaborative proposal AbstractThe research objective of this EAGER award is to develop effective molecular orientation focused novel processing science for bioinert and biodegradable polymer systems. During recent years novel polymer melt manipulation techniques have been developed at Lehigh University. These techniques induce carefully designed polymer melt oscillation to align polymer molecules in desired ways during product manufacturing. Processing optimization will be assured via coupled studies of the mechanical and cellular response of resultant bio-polymer products. The project will further enhance the effectiveness of melt manipulation processing for localized product quality control, and do so specifically for polymers associated with biomedical applications. An interdisciplinary research team coupling strengths at Lehigh University and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University will explore the connections between applied melt manipulation conditions and final biomedical product quality attributes. Components of the study will explore 1) the development and assessment of novel routes to implement dynamic melt control; 2) the capability to reliably tune important biodegradable polymer product quality characteristics such as degradation kinetics via dynamic melt control during manufacturing; and 3) the level to which blood-polymer surface interactions can be influenced via dynamic melt control based product manufacturing. If successful, the results of this research will enable the development and cost effective manufacture of biopolymer-based medical devices with mechanical, blood interaction, and biodegradable properties tailored to specific biomedical applications. The advanced material processing techniques developed will enable production in a high-volume and low cost environment. To assure the societal relevance of the proposed research endeavor, significant industrial involvement and guidance will be included. The broader educational impact of the program will be enhanced by the inclusion of undergraduate students. In addition, numerous middle and high school students per year, the majority of which will be from under-represented and minority populations, will be exposed to the research as part of established and award winning programs that partner the two Universities with the surrounding school districts.