I-Corps: Electrokinetic Drug Delivery into Dental Enamel

I-Corps：电动药物输送至牙釉质

• 批准号: 2331740
• 负责人: Jongyoon Han
• 金额: $ 5万
• 依托单位: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-06-15 至 2024-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2331740&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Corps; Electrokinetic; Drug; Delivery; into

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a device to deliver pharmaceutical or cosmetic dental treatments into tooth enamel. Currently, state-of-the-art treatment to enamel relies on topical application. However, the nanoporous nature of the enamel inhibits diffusion of small molecules and pharmaceuticals, which prevents deep and rapid treatments. The deeper and more rapid delivery of a diverse range of therapeutic molecules into the enamel, such as fluoride or potassium, could lead to better protection against tooth decay or sensitivity. The proposed technology is designed to enhance infiltration of small molecules to provide higher efficacy and/or longer lasting dental treatments. This may improve fluoride treatments to prevent cavities, cosmetic whitening procedures, and antibiotic delivery to treat pulpitis that would otherwise require root canal treatment. This I-Corps project is based on the development of a technology to induce electrokinetic flow within the nanochannels of the teeth to drive fluid flow into the dental enamel. Electrokinetic flow is produced as a result of the electrical double layer that exists in the nanochannels of the enamel being driven by an imposed electrical field. Through application of a sufficient voltage across the dental enamel, this method allows rapid and deep infiltration of small and large, charged and uncharged molecules into the teeth. The proposed technology may impact both preventative and cosmetic dentistry. In addition to the delivery of fluoride and potassium treatments, the proposed technology may be used for the delivery of large and macromolecular species such as dental resins, which may expand the use case for these protecting and strengthening species on non-decayed or previously acid-etched teeth.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.

该 I-Corps 项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种设备，可将药物或美容牙科治疗注入牙釉质中。 目前，最先进的牙釉质治疗依赖于局部应用。然而，牙釉质的纳米多孔性质抑制了小分子和药物的扩散，从而阻碍了深度和快速的治疗。 将氟化物或钾等多种治疗分子更深入、更快速地输送到牙釉质中，可以更好地防止蛀牙或牙齿敏感。 所提出的技术旨在增强小分子的渗透，以提供更高的功效和/或更持久的牙科治疗。 这可能会改善预防蛀牙的氟化物治疗、美容美白手术以及治疗牙髓炎的抗生素输送，否则需要根管治疗。 该 I-Corps 项目基于一项技术的开发，该技术可诱导牙齿纳米通道内的动电流，从而驱动流体流入牙釉质。 动电流是由于牙釉质纳米通道中存在的双电层被外加电场驱动而产生的。通过在牙釉质上施加足够的电压，该方法可以使小分子和大分子、带电和不带电分子快速而深入地渗透到牙齿中。 拟议的技术可能会影响预防性牙科和美容牙科。 除了提供氟化物和钾处理之外，所提出的技术还可用于提供大分子物质，例如牙科树脂，这可能会扩大这些保护和强化物质在未腐烂或先前酸化的情况下的使用范围。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。