I-Corps: Ultra-lubricating and Hemocompatible Nanocomposite Coatings for Surgical Devices

在过去的十年里，新的微创治疗方法迅速发展，例如在结构性心脏修复方面，某些市场需求没有得到很好的满足。例如，从基于小口径导管的血管内给药系统控制大体积设备的给药可能是一项挑战。目前市场上存在特氟龙表面改性，但这种方法的缺点与性能和价格有关，存在着巨大的市场需求。该项目正在研究开发的生物纳米复合涂层的能力，以在生物医学条件下产生类似的变型润滑性和生物兼容性性能，正如在基础实验室实验中已经看到的那样。这类高性能纳米复合材料以前还没有成功地应用于此类应用中，主要是由于机械耐久性不足。这个长期存在的障碍最近被团队克服了。这一创新努力将为将超疏水和超亲水材料从实验室转移到生物医学领域铺平道路，从而增进对科学技术的理解。通过与潜在合作伙伴的讨论，润滑性和血液相容性方面的革命性改进被认为非常适合血管内输送导管(改善润滑性)和支架(改善血液相容性)。从基础研究中收集到的液体摩擦减少了50%-90%，再加上最近的机械耐用性成就，应该可以对润滑性涂层进行颠覆性的增强，以改善此类医疗设备的可获得性、可交付性和可预测的部署。这些涂层可以极大地减少副作用，加速自然愈合过程，甚至可能改善血液相容性。通过拟议的i-Corps项目，它还计划通过吸收本科生参与并扩大设施，以创建一项备受瞩目的努力，将一项潜在的颠覆性技术从大学实验室转移到市场，并发展当地的创新和创业生态系统，从而扩大弗吉尼亚大学的小型创业项目。

The last decade has seen a rapid expansion of new minimally-invasive treatments, for instance in structural heart repair, where certain market needs are not well addressed. For example, controlled delivery of bulky devices from small bore endovascular catheter-based delivery systems can be a challenge. Teflon surface modification exists in the marketplace today, but shortcomings of this approach related to performance and price present significant market needs. This project is investigating the ability of bionanocomposite coatings developed to produce comparable transformative lubricity and biocompatibility performance in bio-medical conditions as already seen in fundamental lab experiments. This class of high performing nanocomposites has not previously been successfully implemented in such applications, mainly due to insufficient mechanical durability. This long-standing hurdle has recently been overcome by the team. This innovation effort will enhance scientific and technological understanding by paving the way for transferring superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic materials out of the lab and into the bio-medical field. Stemming from discussions with potential partners, the transformative improvements in lubricity and hemocompatibility are believed to be ideally suited to endovascular delivery catheters (for improved lubricity) and stents (for improved hemocompatibility). The 50-90% reductions in liquid friction gleaned from the fundamental research, combined with the recent mechanical durability achievements should allow for disruptive enhancements in lubricious coatings to improve access, deliverability, and predictable deployment of such medical devices. These coatings could vastly reduce side effects, accelerate natural healing processes, and may even improve hemocompatibility. With the proposed I-Corps project, it is also planned to grow the small entrepreneurship program at UVA by involving undergraduate students and expanding the facilities in creating a high-profile effort to transition a potentially disruptive technology out of a university lab and into the market and grow the local innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem.