I-Corps: Novel Biodegradable Metals and Biomimetic Interfaces with Enhanced Strength and Bioactivity

这个i-Corps项目对医疗保健、生活质量和医疗器械行业的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是巨大的。可生物降解金属和仿生界面的新技术和进步将导致下一代医疗设备和植入物的出现，这些设备和植入物将促进组织愈合，消除二次手术以取出植入物。这将提高需要医疗植入物以支持因疾病或创伤而受损的骨骼和组织的患者的生活质量，并降低整体医疗成本。该项目将为可生物降解金属植入物和设备的商业化奠定基础，这反过来将增加美国公司在医疗器械行业的竞争力。该项目产生的产品将减少疼痛和并发症，消除二次手术，并加快因创伤或疾病而需要医用植入物的患者的愈合和康复。这个i-Corps项目将推进技术，消除目前市场上不可降解的医用合金的缺点。镁基合金是一类新型的可生物降解金属材料，具有良好的力学和生物性能，可广泛应用于骨科、脊柱、牙科和颅面植入物等医疗植入物领域。医用植入用镁基合金商业化的关键挑战在于控制降解速率。NSF支持材料与仿生表面处理一起形成了一种新型的生物相容性镁合金，可提供可调的降解速率、理想的生物活性和优异的机械强度，以支持受损组织更快的愈合和再生。这一新颖的解决方案包含无毒的天然成分，可诱导愈合和减少炎症，与传统的合金设计不同。I-Corps项目将把这项技术转化为商业上可行的产品，使有需要的客户受益。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project on healthcare, quality of life, and the medical device industry is tremendous. The novel technology and advancement of biodegradable metals and biomimetic interfaces will lead to next-generation medical devices and implants that promote tissue healing and eliminate secondary surgeries for implant removal. This will improve quality of life for patients who need medical implants to support bones and tissue damaged by disease or trauma, and reduce overall healthcare costs. The project will build the foundation for commercializing biodegradable metallic implants and devices, which, in turn, will increase the competitiveness of U.S. companies in the medical device industry. The products resulting from this project will reduce pain and complications, eliminate secondary surgeries, and accelerate healing and recovery for patients who need medical implants due to trauma or disease.This I-Corps project will advance technology that eliminates the drawbacks of the non-degradable medical alloys on the market today. Magnesium (Mg) based alloys are a novel class of biodegradable metallic materials that have attractive mechanical and biological properties for a wide range of medical implant applications, such as orthopedic, spinal, dental, and craniofacial implants. The key challenge in commercializing Mg-based alloys for medical implant applications lies in controlling the degradation rate. NSF support has contributed to a novel class of biocompatible Mg alloys along with biomimetic surface treatment to provide tunable degradation rates, desirable bioactivity, and excellent mechanical strength for supporting faster healing and regeneration of damaged tissues. This novel solution contains non-toxic natural elements that induce healing and reduce inflammation, departed from traditional alloy design. The I-Corps project will transform this technology to commercially viable products that will benefit the customers in need.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.