Week Three Progress

During Week Three, we discussed and determined our therapeutic agent for the hydrogel module. After extensive research and comparison of our options, we decided the best-suited therapeutic would be zinc oxide. This substance fits our design so well because it is hydrophobic and will slowly disperse through the pores in the bottom hydrogel layer. Zinc oxide has been used in past hydrogel models and has been proven to be effective. It is an agent that has been used in ointments and supplements to treat burns and prevent infections. Likewise, the possibility of overdosing on zinc-oxide necessitates a solution for controlled therapeutic release. The predominant delivery system for zinc oxide is through medicinal cream, the delivery through which enables the therapeutic threshold of zinc oxide to be increased to levels of high toxicity. Symptoms of zinc-oxide overdose include: fever, chills, vomiting, mouth irritation, stomach pain, and yellowing of the eyes and skin. Consequently, the pharmaceutical market will benefit from a medicinal product which controls the release of zinc oxide, releasing ideal concentrations between 10 to 30 milligrams. As such, based upon the research that we have collected, zinc oxide is the apparent choice of our therapeutic agent.

This was also our first week of experimentation with the hydrogels. All of our equipment arrived including: rubber mold, two glass beakers, food coloring, pipettes, calcium chloride, and sodium alginate. Figure 1 depicts the equipment used in our initial experiments. Our first trial produced a viscous version of the hydrogels, which was not what we had intended to create. In this next week, we plan on using more accurate measurements to ensure the hydrogel comes out with the consistency that we require for our design.

Figure 1: Supplies

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Week Nine Progress

The progress underwent during week nine of the hydrogel restructuring module entailed rectifying the errors made during the first and second testing rounds conducted during week seven. The results of first and second testing trials revealed egregious errors upon obtaining the results of the spectrophotometry of week eight. The spectrophotometry results delineated a consistent decrease in fluorescent intensity over time. Nonetheless, an ideal graph would illustrate a sustained increase in fluorescent intensity, thereby paralleling an increase in the percentage of therapeutic that is released. The increase in fluorescent intensity which had resulted from the week seven testing may be attributed to the experimental errors which occurred during the construction of hydrogel samples, and are described in full detail in the Week Eight Progress Report. During week nine, new hydrogel samples were generated in a comparable fashion to the construction of samples during the second phase of t...

Week One Progress

Figure 1: Diagram of preliminary design The culmination of the hydrogel modulation design will yield a hydrogel wound dressing utilized for the therapeutic treatment of first-degree and second-degree exterior burns. A physical prototype of the hydrogel wound dressing will be produced by precipitating food-grade sodium alginate in a calcium chloride solution. The reaction yields spheres of low-density gel surrounded by a thin gelatinous membrane. The construction of an alginate dressing necessitates ionic cross-linking of the alginate solution with calcium ions, as to form the gel component. Both the high-density and low- density hydrogel layers will be generated in unison, before undergoing the freeze-drying process as to produce porous sheets. The physical prototype will be accompanied by a computer generated model of the hydrogel wound dressing, as evidenced in figure 1. The required components to construct the hydrogel adhesive were determined and subsequently purchased. The r...

Week Two Progress

The objectives of the week two lab consisted of preparing for the construction of the therapeutic-infused hydrogel adhesive. As such, a bill of materials was devised to determine the requisite laboratory supplies. It was determined that chemical components and laboratory glassware would be required to conduct the precipitation reaction between calcium chloride and sodium alginate. As the therapeutic agent, to be injected into the hydrogel 'beads', has not yet been determined, a comparable placebo had not been established. Nonetheless, each team member is to conduct research to determine an appropriate therapeutic for the hydrogel adhesive before a comparable placebo may be determined. Research regarding a possible therapeutic agent is to be completed before the week three lab. Once a therapeutic agent is agreed upon, a placebo, of comparable physical properties, will be ordered. The week two activities were completed in preparation for the construction of a preliminary design ...

Group 076-11: Modulating Hydrogel Structure for Therapeutic Release

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