I-Corps: Peptoid microsphere-coated surfaces for use in treatment of wound healing

I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发用于治疗创伤和伤口愈合的人工细胞外基质（aECM）。所提出的材料可以导致更有效的支架，并且可以被加工成附着在任何给定的基底上。复杂的aECM微球可以插入到水凝胶型设计中，也可以附着在更大的结构上，这取决于应用。这种提出的技术可以通过提供损伤区域的稳定性来减少通常由创伤性损伤引起的永久性继发性损伤。此外，在细胞移植的同时使用aECM可能会促进细胞间的相互作用，并确保将原发影响后发生的细胞死亡降到最低。如果成功，所提出的材料可能会减少患者的恢复时间和减少认知丧失在神经元应用。这个I-Corps项目是基于类肽微球的开发，以创造一种人工细胞外基质（aECM）来支持细胞的生长。具有交替带电和芳香侧链的肽类设计允许微球通过pi堆叠自组装，直径范围为1.5-3.5微米。微球抵抗蛋白质水解，使其在体内比肽更持久。类肽微球适合在无菌条件下使用，因为这种微球在80%的乙醇溶液中形成，并且在紫外线杀菌时不会发生结构变形。这些微球已经对多种细胞类型进行了毒性测试，并被证明是无毒的。此外，在先前的研究中，地形特征影响了神经干细胞向神经元的分化，并且观察到当球体存在于培养基中时，细胞的排列方式不同。这种结构的多功能性和有希望的初步结果表明，将这些微球掺入人工细胞外基质中可能在创伤性损伤修复和伤口愈合中具有应用价值。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 I-Corps project is the development of an artificial extracellular matrix (aECM) for the treatment of traumatic injuries and wound healing. The proposed material may lead to more effective scaffolds and may be crafted to attach to any given substrate. Complex aECM microspheres may be inserted into a hydrogel-type design or attached to a larger structure, depending on the application. This proposed technology may reduce permanent secondary injuries commonly caused by traumatic injuries by providing stability to the damaged region. In addition, the use of an aECM in tandem with cell transplantation may encourage cell-to-cell interactions and ensure that the cell death that occurs post primary impact is minimized. If successful, the proposed materials may decrease patient recovery time and decrease cognitive loss in neuronal applications.This I-Corps project is based on the development of peptoid microspheres to create an artificial extracellular matrix (aECM) to support growth of cells. A peptoid design with alternating charged and aromatic side chains allows for the self-assembly of microspheres via pi-stacking with diameters ranging from 1.5-3.5 microns in size. The microspheres are resistant to proteolysis making them more durable in vivo than peptide counterparts. Peptoid microspheres are suitable for use in aseptic conditions, as the spheres form in an 80% ethanol solution and sustain no structural deformities when exposed to ultraviolet-sterilization. The microspheres have been tested for toxicity with multiple cell types and have proven to be nontoxic. In addition, in previous studies the topographical features have influenced the differentiation of neural stem cells to neurons and it was observed that cells arrange differently when the spheres are present in media. The versatility of this structure and promising initial results suggest that these microspheres incorporated into an artificial extracellular matrix may have applications in traumatic injury repair and wound healing.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.