I-Corps: Self-adhesive, nanofibrous, silicone elastomer to replace current adhesive bandages

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种无粘性绷带，用于皮肤伤口愈合和其他应用。目前的绷带技术依赖于刚性的粘合剂材料，其不能为使用者提供舒适的长期粘合。 所提出的技术是一种弹性体网片，其是一种高度可变形的弹性膜，具有与皮肤相似的力学性能，为皮肤的微槽提供了一个适形表面，用于长期的伤口或疤痕覆盖。该技术可应用于伤口护理、疤痕管理和皮肤贴片型治疗（例如，尼古丁、皱纹、痤疮等）。所提出的技术的目标是提供一种自粘绷带，其可以长时间层压在皮肤上，避免频繁移除或更换的需要，并降低潜在感染的风险。这种无粘合剂绷带可能适用于皮肤敏感和/或过敏的患者，如早产儿和老年患者。此外，这项技术可能会被开发用于皮肤上的、自粘性的、可穿戴的电子产品，并转化为尚未完全建立的市场，例如可拉伸电子产品的开发。这个I-Corps项目是基于一种微观结构的开发，该微观结构通过提供一种无粘合剂的舒适基材来模拟皮肤天然的细胞外基质，用于伤口护理的长期层压。目前，使用的绷带需要“粘性”粘合剂，这会加重过敏和炎症。拟议的技术是一种自粘性、纳米纤维、硅橡胶弹性体，可以取代粘性绷带。初步测试表明，与硅胶片相比，其生物相容性，增加了细胞增殖和活力，硅胶片是最广泛使用的绷带材料之一。此外，它可以增加体内细胞增殖和细胞更新的速率，以减少伤口愈合时间并改善疤痕的外观。 此外，已经证明，所提出的技术在导致剧烈出汗的运动条件下粘附到皮肤上，充当完全可渗透的自粘合剂。该绷带提供了一个独特的机会来评估伤口护理行业对柔软、超薄、可拉伸和可渗透绷带的未满足需求，产生高度适形、无粘合剂和汗液扩散的保护膜。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 potential of this I-Corps project is the development of an adhesive-free bandage to wear on the skin for wound healing and other applications. Current bandage technology relies on rigid, adhesive materials that do not provide comfortable, long-term adhesion for the user. The proposed technology is an elastomeric mesh that is a highly deformable and an elastic membrane with similar mechanics to skin that provides a conformable surface to the microgrooves of the skin for long-term wound or scar coverage. The technology has application in wound care, scar management, and skin-patch type treatments (e.g., nicotine, wrinkle, acne, etc.). The goal of the proposed technology is to provide a self-adhesive bandage that may be laminated on the skin for a long period of time, circumventing the need for frequent removal or replacement, and reducing the risk of potential infection. This adhesive-free bandage may be suitable for patients with sensitive skin and/or allergies, such as premature babies and elderly patients. Additionally, this technology may be developed for on-skin, self-adhesive, wearable electronics and translated into markets that have yet to be fully established such as the development of stretchable electronics. This I-Corps project is based on the development of a microstructure that mimics the skin natural’s extracellular matrix by providing an adhesive-free, comfortable substrate for long-term lamination in wound care. Currently, used bandages require "tacky" adhesives that can aggravate allergies and exacerbate inflammation. The proposed technology is a self-adhesive, nanofibrous, silicone elastomer that may replace adhesive bandages. Preliminary testing demonstrates its biocompatibility, increased cellular proliferation, and viability compared to silicone sheets, which are among the most widely used bandage materials. Further, it may increase the rate of cell proliferation and cell turnover in vivo to diminish wound healing time and improve the appearance of scars. In addition, it has been demonstrated that the proposed technology adheres to the skin during exercise conditions that result in vigorous sweating, acting as a fully permeable self-adhesive. The bandages provide a unique opportunity to evaluate an unmet need in the wound care industry for soft, ultra-thin, stretchable, and permeable bandages, yielding a highly conformal, adhesive-free, and sweat diffusive protective membrane.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.