I-Corps Teams: Novel Rapid Non-destructive Cell Culture Platform

该项目旨在评估一种快速非破坏性细胞培养平台的商业潜力，该平台基于通过调节温度改变形状的聚合物纹理。细胞培养是医学和研究中的常见活动，其中细胞从来源（例如患者）中取出，并放入培养皿中进行繁殖。该活动的挑战是从细胞培养皿中取出附着的细胞以供进一步使用。如果细胞保持附着太长时间并在表面过度繁殖，它们就会死亡，因此它们必须定期转移到新的培养皿中。目前最流行的从培养皿中取出它们的方法是使用化学溶解剂，这种化学溶解剂会使它们解离，但也会破坏或杀死细胞。之后，细胞必须被冲洗，需要大约一天的时间才能恢复，然后才能使用或研究。之所以这样做，是因为目前没有更好的选择。该项目的动机是为了提高人类细胞实验室测试的重现性。这项技术在干细胞研究/治疗的进步中非常重要，消除了药物，化妆品和消费品的动物试验，以及其他使用细胞培养的医疗相关领域。所提出的技术是重要的，因为与市场上现有的技术相比，它允许更快和非破坏性的选择来培养细胞。为了评估拟议技术的商业潜力，该团队将与潜在客户和贸易合作伙伴进行直接对话，以确定细胞培养市场中的创新，确定市场支持的价格以获得这种创新，并制定有效的市场激活策略。这项技术在几个使用细胞培养的市场中的潜在影响是：干细胞相关活动的市场为1700亿美元，总细胞培养市场为147亿美元（2013年），预计到2018年将增长到245亿美元。产品开发活动将包括研究快速器械制造、各种细胞类型（包括干细胞）的释放和活力验证以及开发非融合细胞释放。将该技术开发成商业产品可能会对细胞培养的速度和准确性产生积极影响。干细胞研究和临床试验的进展可以导致更快的诊断，治疗和人类疾病的管理。

This project aims to evaluate the commercial potential of a rapid non-destructive cell culture platform based on polymer textures that change shape by adjusting the temperature. Cell culture is a common activity in medicine and research in which cells are taken from a source, such as a patient, and put into a culture dish to multiply. A challenge in this activity is to remove the attached cells from the cell culture dish for further use. If cells remain attached for too long and overpopulate the surface they die, so they have to be regularly transferred to a new dish. The current most popular method of removing them from a dish uses a chemical dissolving agent which dissociates them but also damages or kills the cells. Afterward, cells have to be rinsed and need about a day to recover before they can be used or studied. It's only done this way because currently, there isn't a better alternative. The motivation for this project is driven by the need for greater reproducibility in laboratory testing of human cells. This technology is important in the advancement of stem cell research/therapies, eliminating animal testing for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and consumer products, as well as other medical-related areas which use culture of cells. The proposed technology is significant because it allows for a faster and non-destructive option for culturing cells as compared to current technologies available in the market place. To evaluate the commercial potential of the proposed technology, a rapid non-destructive cell culture platform, this team will engage in direct conversations with potential customers and trade partners to determine what is considered innovation in the cell culture market, identify a market-supported price to acquire this innovation, and develop an effective market activation strategy. The potential impact for this technology in several markets using cell culture is: $170 billion market for stem cell related activities and a $14.7 billion total cell culture market (2013) which is estimated to grow to $24.5 billion by 2018. Product development activities will consist of investigating rapid device fabrication, validation of release and viability with various cell types including stem cells, and developing non-confluent cell release. Development of this technology into a commercial product could positively impact the speed and accuracy with which cell culture is performed. The resultant advances in stem cell research and clinical tests can lead to faster diagnosis, cure, and management of disease in humans.