SBIR Phase II: Final Ink and Stamp Development and Safety Testing For the SPF Indicator Stamp

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是通过帮助人们涂抹和重新涂抹足够量的防晒霜来帮助减少晒伤（黑色素瘤的主要风险因素），皮肤癌和光老化率。 晒伤，93%的皮肤癌，以及高达90%的与年龄有关的皮肤变化都是由过度暴露于紫外线辐射（UVR）引起的。在美国，皮肤癌比所有其他形式的癌症更常见，估计每年的治疗费用为81亿美元。防晒霜是一种非处方药，可以防止紫外线的破坏性影响，但多项研究表明，防晒霜使用者只使用了推荐量的三分之一，而且没有经常重新涂抹。休闲（海滩和身体）防晒霜市场在美国为25亿美元（全球为110亿美元），年增长率为7%。 通过帮助人们在正确的时间涂抹和重新涂抹正确量的防晒霜，该项目将有助于预防晒伤、皮肤癌和光老化。这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目将产生第一个准确、负担得起和方便的防晒霜有效性指标。虽然市场上存在其他光致变色（UV敏感和变色）防晒有效性指标，但它们不准确（温度和UVA 1敏感性导致报告错误），昂贵（每次使用0.60美元）和不方便（贴纸和腕带格式），这在很大程度上是它们缺乏市场采用的原因。该项目将产生两种格式的第一个皮肤上的光致变色防晒霜有效性指标：一个独立的邮票，将与任何防晒霜和邮票在帽格式，是内置到防晒霜的帽子。它还将产生两种不同的光致变色油墨配方（一种用于防晒乳液，另一种用于防晒喷雾），它们将被印在用户的皮肤上，并准确地报告用户的防晒程度，以便他们可以在正确的时间涂抹和重新涂抹适量的防晒霜。 一枚邮票在潮湿或干燥的条件下可持续一整天，并能承受多次褪色和防晒霜重复使用周期。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 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to help reduce sunburn (a primary risk factor for melanoma), skin cancer, and photoaging rates by helping people to apply and reapply adequate amounts of sunscreen. Sunburns, 93% of skin cancer, and up to 90% of the age-related changes to skin are caused by overexposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Skin cancer is more commonly diagnosed than all other forms of cancer combined in the U.S. with estimated annual treatment costs of $8.1 billion. Sunscreen is an over-the-counter drug that can prevent the damaging effects of UVR, yet multiple studies show that sunscreen users only apply about a third of the recommended amount of sunscreen and do not reapply often enough. The recreational (beach and body) sunscreen market is $2.5 billion in the U.S. ($11 billion globally) and growing at an annual rate of 7%. By helping people apply and reapply the correct amount of sunscreen at the right time, this project will help prevent sunburns, skin cancer, and photoaging.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will result in the first accurate, affordable, and convenient sunscreen effectiveness indicator. Though other photochromic (UV-sensitive and color-changing) sunscreen effectiveness indicators exist in the marketplace, they are inaccurate (temperature and UVA1 sensitivities cause reporting errors), expensive ($0.60 per use) and inconvenient (stickers and wristband formats) which largely account for their lack of market adoption. This project will result in the first stamp-on-skin photochromic sunscreen effectiveness indicator in two formats: a stand-alone stamp that will work with any sunscreen and a stamp-in-cap format that is built into the sunscreen’s cap. It will also result in two different photochromic ink formulations (one for use with sunscreen lotions and another for sunscreen sprays) which will be stamped onto user’s skin and accurately report—at-a-glance and in real-time the degree of users’ sun protection so they can apply and reapply the right amount of sunscreen at the right time. A single stamp will last an entire day in wet or dry conditions and withstand multiple color-fade and sunscreen reapplication cycles.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.