7A - Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1
Fiber based healing bandages:
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Opportunity:
o
Bandages available within hospitals and drugs
stores help prevent infection, but not always effectively. Bandages/gauze with
fiber-based properties to attach to skin and mimic the building up of platelets
to form a scab.
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The who: Hospitals in the US and consumers of
drug store bandages
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The what: Bandages provided lack in healing
support and protection from infection.
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The why: Bandages do not provide a support for
the rebuilding of skin. Fibers mixed with an antibiotic would prevent infection
while building the scab.
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Testing the who: I believe that the “who” could
be applied to everyone stated along with animals. We all share the need for
rapid wound healing, as everyone comes across it at least once in their life.
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Testing the what: Challenges presented to this
opportunity is what exactly the fibers would be made out of. How will they be
applied to the skin? Will they be like a patch or should they be sprinkled on?
In what direction will they be applied? Like a mat or like Velcro? Some of
these questions have already been researched to mimic the formation of the
underneath of a scab/ the formation of platelets. https://phys.org/news/2013-05-human-scabs-bandage.html
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Testing the why: I believe that this could be a
medical discovery that could change the way we view natural healing and
bandages. Specifically, at UF, I see the need in the form of scooter burns. Students
will burn their legs on the exhaust pipes of scooters, and they will not heal
well. Students walk around with giant scars/bandages on their shins. This
bandage would help in this aspect in my immediate life.
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Interview #1:
o
The girl I interviewed is a marketing major who
is very savvy when it comes to determining market opportunity. She believes
that the opportunity potentially exists because of the length of time a wound
takes to heal naturally. Hospitals may need to free up space more quickly and
save money from taken beds. Patients who have wounds and hospitals who will
clear patients more quickly are a large target market for this product. She
believes the opportunity even exists for her because she is “clumsy” and “gets
super hurt all the time”. One improvement she’d like to see is bandages in
different colors to be inclusive of all skin tones.
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Interview #2:
o
The next girl I interviewed worked for a
biomedical company over the summer. She thinks there is definitely an
opportunity for this since medicine is advancing rapidly. Right now, bandages
still seem very basic to her so there should be improvements. About the market
and herself she said, “Often times I don’t use bandages because all they do is
cover the wound and I just use a paper towel until the bleeding stops. If there
was a bandage that could actually contribute to the healing process, I would
use it.” She would also like to see multi-toned bandages.
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Interview #3:
o
The next girl I interviewed is a biological
engineering major who is pre-vet. She believes the opportunity exists because
it is a chance to greatly improve upon an existing situation. She believes the
market exists for medical patients with skin wounds as they are always injured
people. She also believes to match these bandages to different skin types.
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Interview #4:
o
I interview a guy next who is a pre-med major. He
believes that there are bandages out there that aim to support the platelets in
clotting and forming a scab, but not ones that specifically focus on rebuilding
the skin. He believes that there are many different people this product could
be used by. It could be parents who want the best protection when their kids scrape
their knee, or it be used by a doctor to help cover up stitches. He thinks
there is a market so long as the cost is comparable to bandages, because he
doesn’t think the average person will go out of their way to buy something like
this given that regular bandages work. He would caution the use of antibiotics I
the actual bandages given the big antibiotic resistance problem that is growing
rapidly.
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Interview #5
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The final girl I interviewed for the opportunity
is someone I studied abroad with in South Africa. She has experience with
identifying opportunities and seeing what is available in the market. She
believes the opportunity exists as she doesn’t know of anything like this on
the market. She thinks he market includes doctors and patients including
herself. She would like a diversity in design as well.
ReplyDeleteSounds like an ambitious product to come out especially since a lot of research is required.
Good that you have interviewed people with knowledge in the field. The biomedical industry is huge and I would say riddled with problems in many forms and also in the pharmaceutical industry, so I applaud that you have ideas in that field.
One technology advancement that could be a competitor for your idea I would say would be the 3D printing of skin cells onto wounds. Also I believe there are advances in some kind of gel that can be applied on burns. It is probably expensive, but perhaps that’s more of a capitalist issue in the industry that needs to be disrupted by smaller players?
All the best!
Great interviews Jenna. This is a great idea, but something like this requires so much time. It could take 10 years to create something like this and get it approved. it was interesting to read the medical students thoughts. I agree with the statement that bandages are very basic. A state of the art bandage, with the right marketing can change the game.
ReplyDeleteHey Jenna,
ReplyDeleteI think your idea is useful and it seems like, aside from perfecting the fiber material, it’s a simple design with a straight forward use. In terms of a normal Band-Aid I’d assume it could potentially very similar but with a new gauze material that would remain imbedded in the wound when you peel off the bandage. I also believe your first interview had a very astute idea allowing hospitals to heal patients who have cuts too small to be stitched at a quicker pace.