Current Project Information
Client Information: Our client is UN&UP (https://www.unandup.com/) with our main point of contact being Michael Sabo (mes@unandup.com).
Need Statement: A way to shorten the time frostbite goes untreated and the time to localized drug delivery to improve patient outcomes and increase limb retention and function.
Project Scope: Physicians need a method to quickly and accurately deliver frostbite therapeutics to affected extremities where blood often coagulates. This timelier and more targeted therapeutic intervention will improve patient outcomes allowing them to attain extremities and relevant function for a higher quality of life. The therapeutic localization device will be accessible to all extremities impacted by frostbite, and the therapeutic agent will reach affected areas within 1 minute of device activation. Additionally, to test the validity of this localization a realistic phantom reflecting the dynamics of extremity vasculature will be fabricated. We will deliver a programmable control system for a magnet (therapeutic device) and a realistic phantom to our client UN&UP by April 25, 2025, as well as all proper documentation for fabricating the therapeutic device and phantom.
Recent Activities
We met with Edwin Carlen a WashU faculty member and expert on microfabrication technology and nanotechnology, who operates the clean room for the Institute of Materials Science and Engineering. We gained insight into the design of microfluidic chips which we could use as a phantom to measure the success of drug delivery interventions in frostbite treatment.
Future Steps
We have been given the contact information of a graduate student in Mark Meacham’s Lab here at WashU who may assist us with future steps in designing and creating microfluidic chips for our use.
Questions/Things to Look Into
How simple should a phantom be in representing the vasculature of extremities?
What is a channel structure that would best represent the capillaries of fingers and toes and how this differs from fluidics of other vasculature?