Overview
Carbuncles are the most common skin infection in adults or babies caused by S. aureus. According to the “Carbuncle Treatment Market Analysis”, we can know that this disease is spread all over the world. In the market demand, the treatment of carbuncles deserves development.
We intend to promote the idea through commercialization and entrepreneurship to benefit more patients around the world. We also consider how to package, and deliver our product and estimate the cost. Moreover, we require our synthetic biology project to meet the SDGs, and make different religions, cultures, and races accept our product.
Thus, we will require that all materials be environmentally friendly and decomposable, and the design must conform to the religion and culture of the region.
For example, we will not sell products containing materials obtained from animals (pig, cows, etc.) in Islamic areas or in India.
Problem and Demand
According to the statistics, Carbuncle Treatment Market Analysis was valued at US 1.44 Bn. In 2021 and the total Carbuncle Treatment revenue is expected to grow at 4.6% form 2022 to 2027, reaching nearly US 1.88 Bn. So, the carbuncle treatment is worth developing in market demand.
Moreover, according to the market statistics, the global microneedle drug delivery systems market size was valued at USD 5.57 billion in 2020. It is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.3% from 2021, which means the demand for microneedle patches have been growing in recent years. Therefore, we think the research on microneedle patches have great potential in the medical and biomaterial market. In addition, we believe that this minimally invasive and painless subcutaneous administration is not only easy to accept, but also convenient.
About Our Team
NTHU_Taiwan is a cross-disciplinary team composed of 10 students from 3 different departments. Our work is divided into 3 parts Wet Lab, Dry Lab, and Human Practice. Wet Lab is responsible for biological experiments and collection of experimental data, and Dry Lab is responsible for the analysis of experimental data and constructing the model. Finally, Human Practice is our promotion department. Their work includes fundraising, contacting teachers or companies, and promoting our projects. Therefore, we are confident that entrepreneurship can be accomplished through interdisciplinary exchanges.
Innovation Design
Our products are innovative:
- It can target S. aureus specifically.
- The materials of this product are all biocompatible and environmentally friendly.
- It has been tested to verify that the microneedles can carry the drug and maintain its activity.
- Achieve a slow drug release effect.
- AMPs antibacterial mechanism can reduce the multi-drug resistance.
- Customized design for different condition.
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Cost Estimate
| Item | Price(USD) | Size | Dosage/patch | Amount | Price(USD)/patch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HAMA | 383 | 500mg | 0.03mg | 1.333 | 0.28 |
| Gelatin | 200 | 500g | 0.0003mg | 3,333,333 | 0.00006 |
| Reagents | 100 | 1kg | 0.00005mg | 2,000,000,000 | 0.00000005 |
| Total (USD) | ~0.29 | ||||
Target User
Aim at Staphylococcus aureus skin infection, users are all people in all generations. In particular, skin diseases related to S. aureus are prevalent in hot and humid areas, so we expected tropical and subtropical countries to be our target users.
Moreover, carbuncles or furuncles have a high probability of leaving scars after they are healed. According to relevant research, microneedles can stimulate the subcutaneous tissue to proliferate the dermis tissue, thereby improving skin quality.
And our AMPC-microneedle system can not only treat diseases but also expand into medical cosmetology. The advantages of multi-functional microneedle patches create greater business opportunities.
Market Survey
NTHU_Taiwan developed a novel microneedles patch for our project. To understand the market before commercializing the product, we designed an online form with 16 questions to investigate people’s views of using our microneedles.
Survey Content
This survey includes three personal information questions and thirteen product-related questions. We collected the respondent’s email and ages rather than all of their information to receive more credible responses. Most importantly, the articles in the questionnaire also describe the advantages and disadvantages of microneedle, allowing participants to make their own judgments to ensure that we obtain the most unbiased survey results.
Questionnaire Statistics
Number of Responses
We collected a total of 401 responses, which is a convincing survey for our project.
Introduction and analysis the Pros and Cons of microneedle
Microneedles are nanoscale medical devices that pierce the skin through an array of tiny needle tips, and then deliver drugs directly into the body.
Compared with traditional subcutaneous injections, microneedles reduce pain and the risk of infection at the injection site. Because traditional injections leave wounds for up to 48 hours, which greatly increases the risk of bacterial infection on the wound. On the other hand, microneedles Only caused 10-15μm deep of the wound to the skin, making it difficult for bacteria to enter the bloodstream, and also the skin will repair faster. Finally, microneedles are less expensive than regular needles because they are smaller and use cheaper materials.
However, there is still some concern. First, due to the damage of the microneedle array, the drug may not be fully released and the treatment may not be effective. Second, the incorrect use of microneedles may leave needle tip residues in the body. Because of their small size, they are more fragile than ordinary needles, so they may break off and remain in the body.
Age Distribution
The participants are from many different ages which provide perspectives for different age groups. Most of the participants are 18 to 25 years old, and 45 to 55 years old.
After reading the article, which number best describes the practicality of microneedles?
According to the questionnaire statistics, about 85% of people think that the practicality of microneedle is three points higher than the average(3 points), which shows that most people agree with the practicality of microneedle.
(The bigger the number the more practical it is.)
After reading the article, which number best describes the convenience of microneedles?
According to the questionnaire statistics, about 88% of people think that the convenience of microneedle is three points higher than the average(3 points), which shows that most people agree with the convenience of microneedle.
(The bigger the number the more convenient it is.）
If you have to do the medical treatment, would you prefer using microneedles or traditional subcutaneous injection?
According to the questionnaire statistics, if treatment is necessary, after reading the introduction article on microneedle, about 75% of people will choose to use microneedle for treatment, which shows that people are still willing to accept and try new treatment methods.
Would you like to buy the products using microneedles if it can treat the skin disease?
If our microneedle products can really effectively treat diseases, about 62% of the participants are willing to buy our products, which greatly increases our determination and confidence to start a business. As for the 29% who are not sure whether to buy it, it may be because the promotion and market of microneedle are not popular enough, so they cannot make a decision. We believed that after the continuous promotion of microneedle, more people will be willing to use our products.
Product Packaging
As microneedle arrays move toward commercialization, it's important to consider the problems that may be encountered during transportation. Suitable primary packaging can protect our product from external damage, sun exposure, and oxidative deterioration.
In terms of packaging materials, considering sustainability issues, we plan to use sustainable materials, such as marine bioplastics, to eliminate the disposable medical equipment problem. This concept is also in line with the purpose of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) "No.12 Responsible Consumption and Production".
See Implementaion page for detail information.
The Flow Chart of Packaging
Content of Manual
Outer Packaging Design
Enterprise Visit
See Human Practice – Win Coat Corporation for detail information.
See Sustainable – Sustainable SDG 9 for detail information.
Future Work
After the initial realization of this project, we are still working on it. Addressing public demand and critical issues, NTHU_Taiwan is devoted to creating many innovative ideas to make the world better.
According to the survey we'’'ve conducted, we realized that most of the public will apply our product if it is useful, which indicated that our product is feasible. Based on the results, we strengthen our Entrepreneurial idea. On the other hand, our product is not only a novel treatment for Staphylococcus aureus but also a sustainable device that is environmentally friendly. Therefore, we will still work on it to make the world better.
Reference
- Boils and carbuncles: Overview - InformedHealth.org - NCBI Bookshelf
- Carbuncle Treatment Market: Global Overview and Forecast (2022-2027)