NanoMatrix, Inc proposes to develop to fabricate a dermal equivalent composed of nano-to-micron scale diameter fibrils composed of collagen and elastin using our proprietary electrospinning technology. Electrospinning is a rapid, and efficient, nanotechnology that uses an electric field to process synthetic and natural protein polymers into tissue-engineering scaffolds. Existing dermal products are primarily targeted to treat burn injuries. There are approximately 2.4 million burns reported in the US each year, resulting in 75,000 hospital visits with an average loss of four working days. Nearly one-third of these patients have burns that cover 25 %, or more, of total body surface. One million sustain permanent disabilities and 8,000-12,000 fatalities are attributed to burns. Current dermal products are difficult to deploy, require multiple surgeries to implant and are often subject to infection. From a commercial and clinical prospective, scaffolds of electrospun collagen have several distinct advantages. Sheets of electrospun collagen can be stored in a dry and sterile state, are portable, easy to deploy and are highly hemostatic. In addition, electrospun scaffolds can be supplemented with anti-bacterial agents, other pharmaceuticals like topical anesthetics and peptide growth factors during the fabrication process, providing enormous flexibility in the design of a tissue engineering scaffold. Beyond burn applications, a dermal equivalent has potential uses in the reconstruction of tissue damaged by surgical excision of cancerous lesions, traumatic injuries, and congenital defects. Our immediate objective is to develop a dermal equivalent however, we note that the electrospinning techniques that we propose to use to control fiber deposition, diameter and scaffold composition have potential applications in a wide variety of bioengineering applications.
The Specific Aims of this Project are:
Aim 1. Evaluate the physical characteristics and mechanical properties of a dermal equivalent.
Aim 2. Evaluate candidate dermal equivalents in a full thickness dermal injury in the guinea pig.
