海角社区

Invention 2019-067

Production of a gel coated suture alternative to braided sutures

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A novel method of producing a gel-suture hybrid with strong adhesion has been invented at 海角社区.

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Market Need

To improve the healing process with minimal or no scar formation following an injury or surgical procedure, numerous sutures are braided to obtain enhanced strength and superior knotting properties. These enhancements can lead to some damaging side effects. Some of the common issues are more drag trauma as they pass through tissues, inter-filament spacing that can attract bacterial infection, and body fluid or air leakage because of the thicker structure. Several gel coating techniques have been developed to counteract these problems, but none of the coatings have successfully addressed all of the limitations.

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Technology Summary

This technology is a novel and universal method to fabricate robust gel-suture hybrids to reduce tissue drag, mitigate body fluid/air leakage, and has mechanical stiffness properties that more closely match the surrounding tissue. A strong adhesion between suture and gel also prevents the two materials from being separated during and after surgical procedures, which is typically exposed to large mechanical stresses. This opens new avenues for wound closure and management by integrating the intrinsic advantages of gels with clinically used sutures to enhance their overall ability to improve the healing process.

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Advantages

• Strong adhesion between gel and suture prevents separation during and after procedures
• Reduces tissue drag with gel and is less stiff than current braided sutures

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Patent Status

Background IP for Research Opportunity