Nanocomposite HA-Clay Based Hydrogels

Background:

An approach to tissue engineering includes mimicking the environment of tissue development _in vivo_; this includes the two components of a scaffold and a bioreactor. A scaffold is inserted into a bioreactor, which provides conditions that are similar to _in vivo_ conditions. Scaffolds need to meet specific requirements in order to facilitate cell seeding and diffusion; such requirements include high porosity, adequate pore size, biodegradability, and injectability. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a naturally occurring polymer found in every tissue of the body, and is a popular option for cell culture scaffolds; however, before the present invention, the HA had to be crosslinked with chemicals for proper mechanical properties. Often, these chemicals are expensive and toxic.

Technology Overview:

This technology is an inexpensive, non toxic, and biochemically functional HA-hydrogel with improved mechanical stability. The hydrogel is comprised of hyaluronic acid, a nanoclay, and gelatin-type A. The HA is dissolved in a cell culture medium to form a HA solution containing amino acids, salts, glucose, vitamins and an antibiotic. Since this HA hydrogel is clay based, unlike currently available HA hydrogels, it's non-toxic and does not require fibronectin. The gelatin coating promotes cell adhesion and proliferation for well over two weeks.

Advantages:

-Biodegradable - Can support cell adhesion - Do not require fibronectin in order to attach cells - Less expensive - Non-toxic - HA-hydrogel has biochemical functionality and improved mechanical stability

Applications:

- Tissue engineering - Cell culture scaffolds - Clinical applications

Intellectual Property Summary:

Patented

Stage of Development:

[8367117](https://patents.google.com/patent/US8367117)

Licensing Status:

Available for licensing.

Licensing Potential:

Development partner,Commercial partner,Licensing

Additional Information: