STTR Phase I: Superparamagnetic, antimicrobial nanocomposites and magnetic toothbrush for synergistic dental care

这一小型企业技术转让(STTR)第一阶段项目的更广泛影响是改善口腔健康。虽然口腔清洁产品中的传统抗菌化合物可以杀死某些类型的细菌，但其他细菌更难去除。这项拟议的技术进步了一种新的口腔清洁设备，它使用磁性纳米颗粒来应对这一挑战。该项目推进了使该解决方案有效所需的研究。该项目将开发一种生物功能化的磁性纳米颗粒铁糊，可以在外部磁场的控制下有效地去除口腔细菌生物膜。该纳米粒子可以显著增强抗菌活性。该产品中的纳米复合材料的核心在体外表现出了很强的磁性和抗菌性能。在磁性牙刷提供的外磁场作用下，纳米颗粒的运动可以同步。由于纳米级的尺寸，纳米颗粒可以通过表面的毛孔进入口腔生物膜，并穿透细菌的细胞壁。因此，这些颗粒可以破坏细菌细胞壁，破坏致密的生物膜，使释放的细菌能够被牙膏中的抗菌化合物充分消除。此外，磁性纳米颗粒的表面将进行修饰，以增加生物兼容性并有利于融入生物膜。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已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 of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project is to improve oral health. Although the conventional antimicrobial compounds in oral cleaning products can kill certain types of bacteria, others are harder to remove. The proposed technology advances a new oral cleaning device that uses magnetic nanoparticles to address this challenge. This project advances the research needed to make this solution effective. The proposed project will develop a biofunctionalized magnetic nanoparticle ferropaste that can efficiently remove the oral bacterial biofilms under the control of an external magnetic field. The nanoparticles can significantly enhance antimicrobial activity. The core of the nanocomposites in this product have demonstrated strong magnetism and antibacterial characters in vitro. Under the external magnetic field provided by the magnetic toothbrush, the movement of the nanoparticles can be synchronized. Because of the nanoscale size, the nanoparticles can enter the oral biofilms through the pores on the surface and penetrate the cell wall of the bacteria. Therefore, these particles can disrupt the bacterial cell wall and break the dense biofilms to allow the released bacteria to be sufficiently eliminated by the antimicrobial compounds in the toothpaste. Additionally, the surface of the magnetic nanoparticles will be modified to increase the biocompatibility and favor incorporation into the biofilms.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.