METHODS FOR IMPROVING THE TISSUE SEALING PROPERTIES OF HYDROGELS AND THE USE THEREOF

    公开(公告)号:US20220218867A1

    公开(公告)日:2022-07-14

    申请号:US17608706

    申请日:2020-05-20

    IPC分类号: A61L24/04 A61L24/00

    摘要: Naturally-derived biopolymers, such as proteins and polysaccharides are a promising platform for developing materials that readily adhere to tissues upon chemical crosslinking and provide a regenerative microenvironment. Here, we show that the sealing properties of a model biopolymer sealant, gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA), can be precisely controlled by adding a small amount of a synthetic polymer with identically reactive moieties, i.e., poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEG DA). For example, we have discovered a more than 300% improvement in tissue sealing capability of 20% (w/v) GelMA adhesive can be obtained by adding only 2-3% (v/v) PEGDA, without any significant effect on the sealant degradation time scale. These hybrid hydrogels with improved sealing properties are suitable for sealing stretchable organs, such as bladder, as well as for the anastomosis of tubular tissues/organs.

    BIODEGRADABLE MICRONEEDLES FOR TRANSDERMAL THERAPEUTIC AGENT DELIVERY

    公开(公告)号:US20210386985A1

    公开(公告)日:2021-12-16

    申请号:US17286443

    申请日:2019-10-28

    IPC分类号: A61M37/00 A61K9/00 A61K9/70

    摘要: A microneedle patch is described that can be used for the sustained delivery of therapeutic agents into living tissue (e.g., skin). The polymer (gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA)) patch can adjust delivery rates based on the degree of crosslinking. The anticancer drug Doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded into GelMA microneedles using a molding fabrication technique. The GelMA microneedles efficiently penetrated the stratum corneum layer of a mouse cadaver skin. Mechanical properties and therapeutic agent release behavior of the GelMA microneedles can be adjusted by tuning the degree of crosslinking. The efficacy of the DOX released from the GelMA microneedles was tested and demonstrated the anticancer efficacy of the released drugs against melanoma cell line A375. Because GelMA is versatile material in engineering tissue scaffolds, GelMA microneedles can be used as a platform for the delivery of various types of therapeutic agents to tissue.

    METHODS FOR FABRICATING MODULAR HYDROGELS FROM MACROMOLECULES WITH ORTHOGONAL PHYSICO-CHEMICAL RESPONSIVITY

    公开(公告)号:US20210403649A1

    公开(公告)日:2021-12-30

    申请号:US17279283

    申请日:2019-10-18

    摘要: Despite the significant advances in designing injectable bulk hydrogels, the inability to control the pore interconnectivity and decoupling it from the matrix stiffness has tremendously limited the applicability of stiff, flowable hydrogels for 3D cellular engineering. To address this problem, we developed a universal method to convert macromolecules and the like with orthogonal chemical and/or physical responsivity, e.g., thermosensitive macromolecules with chemically-crosslinkable moieties, into annealable building blocks, forming 3D microporous beaded scaffolds in a bottom-up approach. For example, gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA), a widely used biomaterial in tissue engineering, may be converted into physically-crosslinked microbeads using a facile microfluidic approach, followed by flow of the microbead slurry and chemical crosslinking in situ to fabricate microporous beaded GelMA (B-GelMA) scaffolds with interconnected pores, promoting cell functionality and rapid (within minutes) 3D seeding in stiff scaffolds, which are otherwise impossible in the bulk gel counterparts.

    TOUGH TISSUE SEALANTS AND THE USE THEREOF

    公开(公告)号:US20220378975A1

    公开(公告)日:2022-12-01

    申请号:US17772399

    申请日:2020-11-18

    摘要: The invention provides injectable, tough hydrogels that can be crosslinked in situ on demand using minimally-invasive methods, such as visible light exposure is an unmet medical challenge. Among the emerging biopolymers for tissue sealing, gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA), a naturally-derived biopolymer obtained from denatured collagen, has secured a promising role as a result of its excellent bioadhesion, biodegradation, and biocompatibility. To overcome one of the main shortcomings of GelMA, i.e., brittleness, we hybridized it using methacrylate-modified alginate (AlgMA) to impart ion-induced reversible crosslinking that can dissipate energy under strain. The hybrid GelMA-AlgMA hydrogels provide a photocrosslinkable, injectable, and adhesive platform with an excellent toughness that can be engineered using divalent cations, such as calcium. This class of novel hybrid biopolymers with more than 600% improved toughness may set the stage for durable, mechanically-resilient, and cost-effective tissue sealants in minimally invasive procedure, especially for stretchable tissues.

    METHODS FOR CONVERTING COLLOIDAL SYSTEMS TO RESUSPENDABLE/REDISPERSABLE POWDERS THAT PRESERVE THE ORIGINAL PROPERTIES OF THE COLLOIDS

    公开(公告)号:US20220080376A1

    公开(公告)日:2022-03-17

    申请号:US17425027

    申请日:2020-02-18

    IPC分类号: B01J13/00

    摘要: Converting colloidal systems, such as emulsions, dispersions, and suspensions to powders is highly demanded in a myriad of biomedical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, oil and gas, food, energy, and environmental applications. Handling colloids is typically associated with persistent challenges including bacterial and viral contaminations, lack of terminal sterilization, impaired stability, short shelf life, high processing costs, and difficult packaging and transportation. Current techniques such as freeze-drying and spray-drying have noticeably failed in completely preserving the properties of dispersed phase while removing the continuous phase. The invention disclosed herein provides a new and easy method to convert colloidal systems to powders that are able to readily revive their properties upon resuspension.