The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project will be the development of a 3D printed, oxygen generating device for cardiac tissue engineering. Cardiovascular disease remains the number one reason for death in the US and across the world. An AHA study suggests that by 2035, nearly 45% of Americans will have developed cardiac problems that cost up about $2B per annum. The current standard of care is organ transplantation, which is beleaguered by a shortage of organs and donors, expensive, and requiring life-long immunosuppression. Alternatively, it may be possible to address the treatment of cardiac problems using tissue engineering (TE). TE is limited by tissue death in large-sized and 3D constructs brought about by inadequate oxygen and nutrient supply. The technology under development is aimed at solving this problem to advance TE as a treatment solution for cardiac repair.
This I-Corps project is based on the development of a self-oxygen generating biomaterial and a biocompatible electrochemical device designed to generate oxygen for the application of tissue engineering. This device design will be printed as 3D cardiac tissue structures, wherein the oxygen generation ability will prevent cell death in the scaffold center. This is currently the primary impediment for the use of tissue engineering in myocardial repair. The innovation is expected to reduce both organ replacement costs and post-operative costs for immune-suppression and care. In the near future, the technology may be extended to other biological tissues. The material platform and device design under development also may be applied to other biomedical applications, including sensors, actuators, and other healthcare devices.
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.
