Method of injecting collagen gels with a variety of biomedical uses
Invention 12057
Method of injecting collagen gels with a variety of biomedical uses
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A rapid and robust system to inject dense collagen gels for tissue scaffolding and drug delivery has been developed at Ï㽶ÊÓƵ.
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Market Need
Similar in composition to the extracellular matrix (ECM) surrounding organs and bone, collagen is a very useful scaffold for tissue reengineering and sustained release during cell and drug delivery applications. However, the injection of self-assembled collagen is limited by the weakness of the gel, lacking the strength necessary to withstand the shear-stress applied during the injection process. Although the addition of cross-linkers helps collagen withstand the increased pressure, they reduce cell viability, biocompatibility, and may interfere with drug treatments loaded into the gels.
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Technology Summary
With this gel aspiration-ejection technique, there is now a rapid, simple, and robust method to generate injectable collagen gels for tissue reengineering. The process allows for the hybridization of collagen gels with polypeptides for increased functionality and supports the homogeneous cell seeding at the material point of processing. In practice, this process has already directed and accelerated MSC differentiation toward an osteoblastic cell type and supports neuronal transdifferentiation.
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Advantages
- Injectable collagen gels that are able to withstand the force of needle pressure without cross-linkers
- The process is rapid and does not require specialist equipment, so this procedure can be performed bedside
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Patent Status
Issued US, Filed EP, CA