I-Corps: Bioresorbable drug delivery patch for the localized treatment of Crohn's Disease

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是潜在地开发一种治疗克罗恩病相关狭窄的新疗法。大约有75万美国人被诊断为克罗恩病，高达50%的克罗恩病患者可能需要在诊断为结构性疾病的10年内至少进行一次手术切除。然而，这种手术方式存在着一些担忧，包括潜在的术后并发症、可能较差的生活质量和较高的失业风险，以及手术后疾病复发的常见情况，50%-60%的患者需要再次手术。目前在胃肠病学领域中还没有广泛使用的肠道保留疗法。一个典型的客户是胃肠内科医生，治疗克罗恩病合并狭窄的患者。这位医生通常为学术医院或私人诊所工作，代表他或她的患者向医疗保险公司收取治疗费用。这个i-Corps项目基于一种新型疗法的开发，该疗法可能会为克罗恩病相关的狭窄提供比目前市场上可用的选择更好的有效疗法。具体地说，克罗恩病狭窄的非手术治疗现状是内窥镜气囊扩张，依靠机械力拉伸开放的肠梗阻。这项拟议的技术可能会开发一种直接作用于狭窄部位的生物递送疗法，通过生物降解以时间受控的方式潜在地分泌抗炎药物。这项拟议的技术可能允许将传统的、但效果较差的全身药物重新用于平台疗法，提供更长时间和更本地化的疗法，从而为克隆氏病等疾病提供替代治疗选择。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并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/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the potential development of a novel therapy for Crohn's disease-related strictures. Approximately 750,000 Americans are diagnosed with Crohn's disease, and up to 50% of patients with Crohn's may require at least one surgical resection within 10 years of diagnosis for the structuring condition. However, the surgical approach has concerns including potential post-surgical morbidities, possible poorer quality of life, and a higher risk of unemployment, and disease recurrence with surgery is common, with 50-60% of patients needing re-operations. There is currently not a widely used intestinal-retentive therapeutic within the field of gastroenterology. A typical customer is a gastroenterology physician treating patients with Crohn's disease complicated by strictures. This physician generally works for an academic hospital or a private practice and bills a healthcare insurance company for therapy on behalf of his or her patients.This I-Corps project is based on the development of a novel therapeutic that may offer an improved effective therapy for Crohn's disease-related strictures than options currently available on the market. Specifically, the status quo for non-surgical treatment of Crohn's disease strictures is endoscopic balloon dilation, which relies on mechanical force to stretch open intestinal blockages. The proposed technology may develop a biologic delivery therapeutic that acts directly at the site of stricture, potentially secreting anti-inflammatory pharmaceuticals in a time-controlled manner through biodegradation. The proposed technology may allow for repurposing traditional, but lesser effective systemic pharmaceuticals, into a platform therapy that delivers longer and more localized therapies that may unlock alternate treatment options for conditions such as Crohn's disease strictures.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.