| AVS 65th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Biomaterial Interfaces Division | Thursday Sessions |
| Session BI-ThA |
| Session: | Biolubrication and Wear / Women in Bio-surface Science |
| Presenter: | Heather Canavan, University of New Mexico |
| Authors: | P.A. Nguyen, University of New Mexico T. Martin, University of New Mexico D. Cuylear, University of New Mexico L. Mckenney, University of New Mexico B. Matheson, University of New Mexico A. Yingling, University of New Mexico L. Ista, University of New Mexico H.E. Canavan, University of New Mexico |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
In 1978, the Worth Health Organization's Alma Ata Declaration asserted individuals' "right and duty to participate individually and collectively in the planning and implementation of their health care". The expansion of these policies began in the 1980s and by the 1990s, social movements across the world demanded greater public accountability and the inclusion of regular citizens in the decision-making process. Today, patient-centered healthcare has continued to progress, and in 2009 a new definition was made by the president of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Donald Berwick "The experience (to the extent the informed, individual patient desires it) of transparency, individualization, recognition, respect, dignity, and choice in all matters, without exception, related to one's person, circumstances, and relationships in health care". These ideas have transformed over time to become “patient-centered design.” In patient-centered design, the focus is to redefine how people experience healthcare by focusing on their needs. The focus of the design is on the wants, needs, and skills of the products’ end-users, including patients, doctors, nurses, caretakers, and others.
In our laboratory, we apply our expertise in bioactive and stimulus-responsive polymers, cell/surface interactions, and cytotoxicity to create therapies that improve patient outcomes by improving the patient’s experience. For example, we have developed a pH-responsive hydrogel to control the release of the medications used to prepare patients for colonoscopy screening. Using standard surface science techniques such as NMR, FTIR, and XPS, the chemical identity, robustness of the hydrogels in varying environments, and uniformity of size of the hydrogels have been assessed. Using standard cytotoxicity assays such as Live/Dead, XTT, and MTS, the biocompatibility of the hydrogels have been established at increasing concentrations from 1-25% out to four days in vitro with appropriate mammalian cell lines. Our model also shows promise in targeted delivery of biotherapeutics and encapsulated bacterial strains within the GI tract of immunocompromised individuals.