I-Corps: Developing and commercializing microbicidal surgical incision coating

University Of Colorado At Denver, Aurora CO

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a product to improve surgical site infection prevention. The risk of surgical site infection across all surgical procedures is estimated at over 2%, with higher-risk procedures estimated to be up 22%. Surgical site infections (SSIs) are one of four healthcare-associated infection (HAI) metrics of interest. Data on SSI occurrence is reported publicly, and informs hospital rankings and performance. Individual hospitals carefully track SSIs related to certain high-risk procedures and will implement projects to help reduce infection rates. Hospitals also cover any medical costs associated with patient treatment and re-admittance associated with resolving an SSI. Cost of hospitalization increases by more than $20,000 per patient, and extends hospital stays by an average of 9.7 days. Overall, there is a $3.3B additional cost to the healthcare system annually to resolve SSIs. SSIs also represent a severe complication for patients, leading to increased healthcare system utilization, additional time for medical treatment, and associated increases in morbidity and mortality. This I-Corps project is based on the development of a technology to prevent bacterial surgical site infections (SSI). The proposed technology is a material that consists of a long polymeric backbone inclusive of quaternized nitrogen. This material is designed to be applied to the surface to be sterilized and forms a uniform coating. The quaternary nitrogen is positively charged and includes an acyl chain of optimized length. Bacteria are pulled to the material via electrostatic interaction, and the bacterial cell membrane is disrupted by the acyl chain. A bactericidal material may offer several advantages including longer protection time, more durable coverage of the sterile area, and no small-molecule compounds present that may be allergens or skin irritants. There have been no significant technological advancements in surgical infection prevention since the 1980s. The proposed technology potentially may significantly shift how surgical site infections (SSI) and other bacterial infections in a healthcare setting are prevented. 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.