SBIR Phase I: Non-pharmaceutical, light and ultrasound combination therapy to prevent SSI's and HAI's

这一小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是显著减少手术部位感染（SSI）、医院获得性感染（HAI）和超级细菌的发生率带来的痛苦和医疗保健成本。该项目将提供许多社会效益：改善住院前的灾难护理;改善战地军事伤害结果;改善医院和诊所有限的欠发达国家的感染护理等。目前，全球HAI和SSI的成本超过410亿美元。最近的一项估计表明，如果不解决抗生素耐药性问题，每年可能导致超过1000万人死亡，并造成数百万人的累积经济损失。拟议的技术是一种不使用抗生素的感染治疗。 作为替代方案，该项目将提供一种非药物解决方案，提供具有成本效益的治疗方法，减少抗生素的临床使用。该项目将减少患者的痛苦，改善医疗效果，并降低整体医疗成本。这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将开发一种非药物疗法，选择性地杀死细菌和病毒，预防SSI和HAI，并且不会诱导进一步的抗生素耐药性。该项目的重点是结合并同时应用特定波长的光和声音频率，从而产生一种新的治疗剂量来杀死细菌，包括耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌（MRSA）。该技术可用于手术前对手术部位进行消毒，也可用于手术后预防手术部位感染。特定波长的光和声频率的创新组合激活了一种独特的生化机制，从内部杀死细菌。该研究将确定理想的材料，这些材料将有效地传输光能和声能，同时满足拟议应用的安全性，功效和人体工程学配置。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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 the potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is significant reduction in suffering and healthcare costs from the incidence of Surgical Site Infections (SSIs), Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs), and Superbugs. This project will provide many societal benefits: improved disaster care prior to hospitalization; better in-field military injury outcomes; improved infection care in underdeveloped nations with limited access to hospitals and clinics, and others. Costs of HAIs and SSIs currently exceed $41B worldwide. A recent estimate indicates that failing to tackle antibiotic resistance could lead to over 10M deaths annually, and millions in cumulative economic damage. The proposed technology is an infection treatment that does not use antibiotics. As an alternative, this project will offer a non-pharmaceutical solution providing cost-effective treatments that reduce the clinical use of antibiotics. This project will provide a reduction in patient suffering, improved medical outcomes, and reduced overall healthcare costs.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop a non-pharmaceutical therapy that selectively kills bacteria and viruses and prevents SSI’s and HAI’s and does not induce further antimicrobial resistance. The project focuses on combining and simultaneous applying specific wavelengths of light and sound frequency resulting in a novel therapeutic dose to kill bacteria, including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The technology can be used pre-surgery to disinfect body areas where the surgery will be performed, and post-surgery to prevent infections at surgical sites. The innovative combination of specific wavelengths of light and sound frequency activates a unique biochemical mechanism to kill bacteria from within. The research will identify ideal materials that will transmit both light and sound energies efficiently whilst meeting safety, efficacy, and ergonomic configurations for proposed applications. The aim is to also find optimal treatment times to treat different areas of the body for specific bacterial infections.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.