(351a) Multilayer Drug Delivery Coatings for Trauma Relief

Current techniques used to address aspects of traumatic injury, including bleeding, infection, and inflammation, are plagued by a lack of efficacy due to difficulty of application, low drug loading, and lack of control over therapeutic release.  In this work, we have focused on the design of efficient and highly therapeutic device coatings that target these conditions.  We have engineered multilayer films using the layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly technique to exhibit a range of favorable drug release profiles and high loadings of antimicrobial peptides, antibiotics such as vancomycin, anti-inflammatory drugs such as diclofenac, and hemostatic agents such as thrombin.  Both electrostatic and hydrogen bonding interactions were explored as methods of incorporating therapeutics into these film coatings.  The drug loading and release properties of these films are strong functions of the film architecture and the LbL assembly technique utilized (spray or dip LbL), which both influence the formation of favorable secondary interactions between film components.  All film released therapeutics retained complete functionality in vitro.  Hemostatic films were also tested in vivo and found to be highly effective in promoting blood clotting.