STTR Phase I: Structure Property Relationship Studies for Designing Next Generation Nanocomposite Blood Bags

这项小企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力解决了储存血液的退化、浪费和短缺问题。本项目提出了一种血袋，能够保存所储存血液的整体健康和活力，包括稀有血型，并延长血液和血小板的保质期。捐献的血液在第11天开始降解，在第42天失效。血小板在储存5-7天内会过期。通过延长健康血液的保质期，这项拟议中的技术减少了浪费，并解决了世界各地血液供应短缺的问题。目前全球每年的血液短缺为3000万单位，而由于过期而浪费的捐献血液有1800万单位。在全球范围内，由于冷冻稀有血液的成本高昂，4亿罕见血型的人无法持续获得血液。由于氧气暴露和其他因素，红细胞的降解早在采集后11 - 21天就开始了，通过增加死亡率、严重感染、多器官衰竭、血栓形成和住院时间来影响输血后的恢复。提高储存的人体血液的功能健康，并将其生存能力延长到42天以上，将极大地影响全世界患者的健康。该项目旨在利用复合塑料中纳米颗粒的抗氧化和抗菌活性，开发新型聚合物纳米复合塑料和血袋。拟议的第一阶段项目的三个主要目标是开发功能性聚合物纳米复合塑料和薄膜，确定纳米颗粒对人体红细胞和血小板储存的影响，开发原型聚合物纳米复合血袋并测试其延长人体血液和血小板的保质期和功能健康的功效。该项目采用跨学科的工具来推进聚合物纳米复合材料袋，同时考虑到这种独特应用对物理化学和机械性能的严格要求。挑战在于平衡血袋的基本要求，同时确保在血液储存过程中纳米材料不浸出的效果。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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 potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project addresses the degradation, waste and shortage of stored blood. This project proposes a blood bag capable of preserving the overall health and vigor of stored blood, including rare blood types, and extending the shelf life of blood and platelets. Donated blood begins to degrade on day 11 and expires on day forty-two. Platelets expire within 5-7 days of storage. By increasing the shelf-life of healthy blood, the proposed technology decreases waste and addresses the shortage of blood supplies around the world. The current global blood shortage is 30 M units per year, and 18 M units of donated blood are wasted due to expiration. Globally, 400 M people with rare blood types don't have consistent access due to the cost of frozen rare blood. Degradation in red blood cells due to oxygen exposure and other factors begin as early as days 11 - 21 after collection, impacting post-transfusion recovery by increasing mortality, serious infections, multi-organ failure, thrombosis, and the length of the hospital stay. Increasing the functional health of stored human blood and extending its viability beyond forty-two days will dramatically impact the health of patients around the world. The proposed project aims to develop new polymer nanocomposite-based plastics and blood bags by using the anti-oxidative and antimicrobial activity of nanoparticles within the composite plastic. The three main objectives of the proposed Phase 1 project are to develop functional polymer nanocomposite plastics and films, determine the effect of nanoparticles on human RBCs and platelets in response to storage and to develop a prototype polymer nanocomposite blood bag and test its efficacy to increase the shelf life and functional health of human blood and platelets. The project applies interdisciplinary tools to advance polymer nanocomposite bags while taking into consideration stringent requirements of physicochemical and mechanical properties for this unique application. The challenge is to balance the essential requirements of a blood bag while ensuring the efficacy with no leaching of nano materials during blood storage.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.