I-Corps: Biodegradable device for the surgical closure and structural support of luminal repairs

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is a the development of a Bio-Zipper technology to improve outcomes in internal tissue closures related to Lower Urinary Tract Reconstructive (LUTR) surgery. Collaboration with surgeons, healthcare providers, and robotic surgery specialists will determine how to best develop, modify, and optimize the Bio-Zipper to ensure that it will not only be highly effective, but also highly adopted by leaders in the field.

Once the device is optimized to lower the hurdles to successful internal closures in LUTR surgery, the device utilization will be expanded into other areas of minimally invasive surgery where internal tissue closure is challenging, such as reconstructions following gastrointestinal tract procedures, appendiceal procedures, and proctectomy. The Bio-Zipper will lower the skill-based barriers to successful robotic surgeries and provide a consistent, reliable closure method.

This device, with small modifications based on the target tissue, may result in improved patient outcomes by allowing for more minimally-invasive robotic surgical options in clinically challenging areas. The device may drive the adoption of more complex robotic surgeries in a larger number of medical centers.

This I-Corps project focuses on a Bio-Zipper technology that lowers the hurdles to successful internal closures in Lower Urinary Tract Reconstruction surgery. The use of the device may also be expanded into other areas of minimally-invasive surgery where internal tissue closures are challenging. The Bio-Zipper Luminal Repair Device for LUTR addresses practice gaps directly through the development of a biomimetic adhesive patch with mechanical properties tuned to those of the tissue to which it has been applied.

The device is specifically designed to ensure distribution of tension across the repair and to provide watertight, stable support despite physiologic, intermittent bladder filling during the healing process. The device has the potential to improve quality of life and outcomes for children and adults undergoing LUTR via rapid, consistent closures that will facilitate the transition to minimally invasive, intracorporeal, patient-driven diversion selection.

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.