SBIR Phase II: Mimicking Metatarsophalangeal Joints Using Tailored, Ultra-Dissipative, Liquid-Crystalline Elastomers to Treat Hallux Rigidus

SBIR 第二阶段：使用定制的超耗散液晶弹性体模仿跖趾关节来治疗拇趾僵硬

• 批准号: 2242770
• 负责人: Amir Torbati
• 金额: $ 100万
• 依托单位: IMPRESSIO INC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Cooperative Agreement
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-09-01 至 2025-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2242770&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; II; Mimicking; Metatarsophalangeal

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project stems from its potential to treat arthritis in joints. This research will be the first investigation into the use of liquid-crystal elastomers (LCEs) for joint repair to treat hallux rigidus. Hallux rigidus (HR) is a joint disorder at the base of the big toe affecting approximately 2.5% of people over 50 years old and roughly 2-3 million people in the US. It is the second most common condition for the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint. If successful, this LCE-based MTP joint implant would advance the standard of care in treating joint degeneration and open the way for novel uses of LCEs in the body. The unique nature of LCEs will permit devices to mimic the natural tissues in the body and provide anatomically correct support. In addition to LCE's ability to mimic the MTP joint, other potential advantages may lead to the advancement of patient-specific devices such as treatments for arthritis in other joints in the foot, hand, knee (e.g., total knee replacement), and spine (e.g., total disc replacement). Other soft tissue applications include osteochondral defects (OCD) and the repair of any load-bearing orthopedic tissue such as meniscus.The proposed project focuses on developing, verifying and validating, and commercializing an LCE-based cartilage replacement device for the MTP joint to treat hallux rigidus. LCEs have superior energy dissipation properties relative to traditional elastomers such as silicone or hydrogels. This proposal seeks to demonstrate how LCEs can be used to treat degenerated joints by combining the fields of liquid-crystal elastomers, rheology, and bioengineering. LCEs are known for their unique behavior which is similar to biological tissues. This project will be accomplished through several main research objectives to support and accelerate the research and development effort: completion of the device pilot production, verification and validation, development of surgical kits and procedures for the device, and transfer of the technology into high volume manufacturing for the commercial device launch.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.

这个小企业创新研究 (SBIR) 第二阶段项目的更广泛影响源于其治疗关节关节炎的潜力。这项研究将是首次研究使用液晶弹性体（LCE）进行关节修复以治疗拇趾强直。拇趾僵硬 (HR) 是一种大脚趾根部的关节疾病，影响约 2.5% 的 50 岁以上人群，在美国约有 2-300 万人。 这是跖趾 (MTP) 关节第二常见的疾病。如果成功，这种基于 LCE 的 MTP 关节植入物将提高治疗关节退行性变的护理标准，并为 LCE 在体内的新用途开辟道路。 LCE 的独特性质将使设备能够模仿体内的自然组织并提供解剖学上正确的支撑。除了 LCE 能够模仿 MTP 关节之外，其他潜在优势可能会促进患者专用设备的进步，例如治疗脚、手、膝关节（例如全膝关节置换术）和脊柱等其他关节的关节炎（例如，全盘更换）。其他软组织应用包括骨软骨缺损 (OCD) 和半月板等任何承重骨科组织的修复。拟议项目重点是开发、验证和验证基于 LCE 的软骨替代装置并将其商业化，用于治疗 MTP 关节拇趾强直。相对于有机硅或水凝胶等传统弹性体，LCE 具有卓越的能量耗散特性。该提案旨在展示如何通过结合液晶弹性体、流变学和生物工程领域，使用 LCE 来治疗退化关节。 LCE 以其与生物组织相似的独特行为而闻名。该项目将通过几个主要研究目标来完成，以支持和加速研发工作：完成设备试生产、验证和确认、开发设备的手术套件和程序以及将技术转化为大批量生产该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。