52997 results about "Polymer" patented technology

An electro-polymeric articulated endoscope and method of insertion are described herein. A steerable endoscope having a segmented, elongated body with a manually or selectively steerable distal portion and an automatically controlled proximal portion can be articulated by electro-polymeric materials. These materials are configured to mechanically contract or expand in the presence of a stimulus, such as an electrical field. Adjacent segments of the endoscope can be articulated using the electro-polymeric material by inducing relative differences in size or length of the material when placed near or around the outer periphery along a portion of the endoscope.

The present invention relates generally to biosensor materials. More specifically, this invention relates to a novel polymeric material that can be useful as a biocompatible membrane for use in biosensor applications.

A connective tissue scaffold including opposed first and second anchoring segments formed from a plurality of bioresorbable polymeric fibers oriented in a direction substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the scaffold and a plurality of bioresorbable polymeric fibers oriented in a direction substantially transverse to a longitudinal axis of the scaffold. A central segment joins the first and second anchoring segments and includes a plurality of bioresorbable polymeric fibers oriented in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the scaffold. The scaffold can also a tissue particle and/or biological component.

Articles are provided having no orientation or a multi-directional orientation. Such articles may be in the form of films, ribbons, sheets, and/or tapes and may be utilized as buttresses with a surgical stapling apparatus or as reinforcing means for suture lines. The articles may be produced with a polymeric material having an agent, such as a chemotherapeutic agent or a radiotherapeutic agent, incorporated therein or applied as a coating thereon.

A medical device and system capable of providing on-demand delivery of biologically active material to a body lumen patient, and a method of making such medical device. A first coating layer comprising a biologically active material and optionally a polymeric material is disposed on the surface of the medical device. A second coating layer comprising magnetic particles and a polymeric material is disposed on the first coating layer. The second coating layer, which is substantially free of a biologically active material, protects the biologically active material prior to delivery. The system includes the medical device and a source of energy, such as an electromagnetic or mechanical vibrational energy. When the patient is exposed to the energy source, the magnetic particles move out of the second coating layer and create channels therein through which the biologically active material can be released.

Biocompatible materials may be configured into any number of implantable medical devices including intraluminal stents. The biocompatible material may comprise metallic and non-metallic materials in hybrid structures. In one such structure, a device may be fabricated with one or more elements having an inner metallic core that is biodegradable with an outer shell formed from a polymeric material that is biodegradable. Additionally, therapeutic agents may be incorporated into the microstructure or the bulk material.

A chassis for mounting a set of operating components of a power head of a surgical instrument is disclosed. The power head has a housing enabling access to an interior volume of the power head encompassed by the housing. The set of operating components have a proper configuration for alignment when mounted within the interior volume encompassed by the housing. The chassis is configured to provide the proper configuration for alignment of either an original or replacement set of operating components mounted on the chassis if the chassis and set of operating components are mounted within the interior volume of the housing. The chassis may be formed from metal and the housing formed from a polymer. The chassis may be configured to ground at least one electrical component.

A novel delivery system for targeting drugs to the colon is herein described. The system is a tablet comprised of three parts: 1) an outer enteric coating, 2) an inner semi-permeable polymer membrane containing a plasticizer and 3) a central core comprising swelling excipients and an active ingredient. The novel dosage form described herein will release the drug consistently in the colon by a time-dependent explosion mechanism. This delivery system is particularly suitable for delivering viral protease inhibitors to the colon.

Medical devices, methods of manufacturing medical devices, and systems comprising medical devices are provided. The device comprises a shaft having a major lumen sized to receive a second medical device and an electrode mounted thereon. The shaft includes an inner liner and outer layer. The method of manufacture includes forming a shaft by forming an inner liner and an outer layer by covering the inner liner with a polymeric material. The method further includes mounting an electrode onto the shaft of the device, and then heating and cooling the shaft. The system comprises a medical device having a shaft and an electrode mounted thereon. The shaft has a major lumen sized to receive another device. The system further comprises an electronic control unit configured to receive signals from the electrode and to determine a position of the electrode and/or monitor electrophysiological data.

The present disclosure relates to an internal fixation device including an interface portion, a polymer material coupled to the interface portion, wherein the polymer material includes at least one feature on a surface of the polymer material, and means for allowing adequate expansion of the polymer material on each side of the bone fracture site. A method of fixating the internal fixation device to a bone and other internal fixation devices and methods for fixating are also disclosed.

A disposable absorbent core comprises first and second absorbent layers each comprising an absorbent particulate polymer material such that the absorbent particulate polymer material is substantially continuously distributed across an absorbent particulate polymer material area. A disposable absorbent article and method for making the absorbent core are also disclosed.

Devices and methods are described for providing continuous measurement of an analyte concentration. In some embodiments, the device has a sensing mechanism and a sensing membrane that includes at least one surface-active group-containing polymer and that is located over the sensing mechanism. The sensing membrane may have a bioprotective layer configured to substantially block the effect and/or influence of non-constant noise-causing species.

Disclosed is a sustained release system that includes a polymer and a prodrug having a solubility less than about 1 mg/ml dispersed in the polymer. Advantageously, the polymer is permeable to the prodrug and may be non-release rate limiting with respect to the rate of release of the prodrug from the polymer. This permits improved drug delivery within a body in the vicinity of a surgery via sustained release rate kinetics over a prolonged period of time, while not requiring complicated manufacturing processes.

A system and method employing at least one semiconductor device, or an arrangement of insulating and metal layers, having at least one detecting region which can include, for example, a recess or opening therein, for detecting a charge representative of a component of a polymer, such as a nucleic acid strand, proximate to the detecting region, and a method for manufacturing such a semiconductor device. The system and method can thus be used for sequencing individual nucleotides or bases of ribonucleic acid (RNA) or deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). The semiconductor device includes at least two doped regions, such as two n-typed regions implanted in a p-typed semiconductor layer or two p-typed regions implanted in an n-typed semiconductor layer. The detecting region permits a current to pass between the two doped regions in response to the presence of the component of the polymer, such as a base of a DNA or RNA strand. The current has characteristics representative of the component of the polymer, such as characteristics representative of the detected base of the DNA or RNA strand.

A biocompatible wound dressing comprised of a pad for insertion substantially into a wound site and a wound drape for sealing enclosure of the foam pad at the wound site. The pad, comprised of a foam or other like material having relatively few open cells in contact with the areas upon which cell growth is to be encouraged so as to avoid unwanted adhesions, but having sufficiently numerous open cells so that drainage and negative pressure therapy may continue unimpaired, is placed in fluid communication with a vacuum source for promotion of fluid drainage, as known in the art. The pad is further comprised of an ultra-low density fused-fibrous ceramic, or a bioabsorbable branched polymer, or cell growth enhancing matrix or scaffolding.

Rapid characterization and screening of polymer samples to determine average molecular weight, molecular weight distribution and other properties is disclosed. Rapid flow characterization systems and methods, including liquid chromatography and flow-injection analysis systems and methods are preferably employed. High throughput, automated sampling systems and methods, high-temperature characterization systems and methods, and rapid, indirect calibration compositions and methods are also disclosed. The described methods, systems, and devices have primary applications in combinatorial polymer research and in industrial process control.

An integrated scaffold for bone tissue engineering has a tubular outer shell and a spiral scaffold made of a porous sheet. The spiral scaffold is formed such that the porous sheet defines a series of spiral coils with gaps of controlled width between the coils to provide an open geometry for enhanced cell growth. The spiral scaffold resides within the bore of the shell and is integrated with the shell to fix the geometry of the spiral scaffold. Nanofibers may be deposited on the porous sheet to enhance cell penetration into the spiral scaffold. The spiral scaffold may have alternating layers of polymer and ceramic on the porous sheet that have been built up using a layer-by-layer method. The spiral scaffold may be seeded with cells by growing a cell sheet and placing the cell sheet on the porous sheet before it is rolled.

Multimolecular devices and drug delivery systems prepared from synthetic heteropolymers, heteropolymeric discrete structures, multivalent heteropolymeric hybrid structures, aptameric multimolecular devices, multivalent imprints, tethered specific recognition devices, paired specific recognition devices, nonaptameric multimolecular devices and immobilized multimolecular structures are provided, including molecular adsorbents and multimolecular adherents, adhesives, transducers, switches, sensors and delivery systems. Methods for selecting single synthetic nucleotides, shape-specific probes and specifically attractive surfaces for use in these multimolecular devices are also provided. In addition, paired nucleotide-nonnucleotide mapping libraries for transposition of selected populations of selected nonoligonucleotide molecules into selected populations of replicatable nucleotide sequences are described.

The invention provides methods and devices for fabricating printable semiconductor elements and assembling printable semiconductor elements onto substrate surfaces. Methods, devices and device components of the present invention are capable of generating a wide range of flexible electronic and optoelectronic devices and arrays of devices on substrates comprising polymeric materials. The present invention also provides stretchable semiconductor structures and stretchable electronic devices capable of good performance in stretched configurations.

Matrices for manipulation of biopolymers, including the separation, purification, bilization and archival storage of biopolymers is disclosed.

A permanent non-resorbable implant allows surgical replacement of cartilage in articulating joints, using a hydrogel material (such as a synthetic polyacrylonitrile polymer) reinforced by a flexible fibrous matrix. Articulating hydrogel surface(s) are chemically treated to provide a negative electrical charge that emulates the negative charge of natural cartilage, and also can be treated with halogenating, cross-linking, or other chemical agents for greater strength. For meniscal-type implants, the reinforcing matrix can extend out from the peripheral rim of the hydrogel, to allow secure anchoring to soft tissue such as a joint capsule. For bone-anchored implants, a porous anchoring layer enables tissue ingrowth, and a non-planer perforated layer can provide a supportive interface between the hard anchoring material and the softer hydrogel material.

Tooth tissues include the pulp mesenchyme that forms the dentin and an epithelium that is responsible for enamel formation. Cells from these tissues were obtained from porcine third molars and were seeded onto a biodegradable scaffold composed of a polyglycolic acid—polylactic acid copolymer. Cell polymer constructs were then surgically implanted into the omentum of athymic nude rats so that the constructs would have a blood supply and these tissues were allowed to develop inside the rats. Infrequently, columnar epithelial cells were observed as a single layer on the outside of the dentin-like matrix similar to the actual arrangement of ameloblasts over dentin during early tooth development. Developing tooth tissues derived from such cell polymer constructs could eventually be surgically implanted into the gum of an edentulous recipient where the construct would receive a blood supply and develop to maturity, providing the recipient with a biological tooth replacement.

The present invention provides polymers (e.g., elastomeric citric acid polymers) and methods of making and using these polymers (e.g., as a biologically active molecule delivery platform). In certain embodiments, the polymer has adsorbed biologically active molecules. In particular embodiments, the polymer comprises pores that are between about 7 and 15 nanometers in diameter. In other embodiments, the polymer comprises poly(1,8 octanediol-co-ctric acid). In certain embodiments, the polymers are made by employing polyethylene glycol dimethyl ether (PEGDM).

The present invention relates to methods and apparatuses for analyzing molecules, particularly polymers, and molecular complexes with extended or rod-like conformations. In particular, the methods and apparatuses are used to identify repetitive information in molecules or molecular ensembles, which is interpreted using an autocorrelation function in order to determine structural information about the molecules. The methods and apparatuses of the invention are used for, inter alia, determining the sequence of a nucleic acid, determining the degree of identity of two polymers, determining the spatial separation of specific sites within a polymer, determining the length of a polymer, and determining the velocity with which a molecule penetrates a biological membrane.

Described here are embodiments of processes and systems for the continuous manufacturing of implantable continuous analyte sensors. In some embodiments, a method is provided for sequentially advancing an elongated conductive body through a plurality of stations, each configured to treat the elongated conductive body. In some of these embodiments, one or more of the stations is configured to coat the elongated conductive body using a meniscus coating process, whereby a solution formed of a polymer and a solvent is prepared, the solution is continuously circulated to provide a meniscus on a top portion of a vessel holding the solution, and the elongated conductive body is advanced through the meniscus. The method may also comprise the step of removing excess coating material from the elongated conductive body by advancing the elongated conductive body through a die orifice. For example, a provided elongated conductive body 510 is advanced through a pre-coating treatment station 520, through a coating station 530, through a thickness control station 540, through a drying or curing station 550, through a thickness measurement station 560, and through a post-coating treatment station 570.

Described here are embodiments of processes and systems for the continuous manufacturing of implantable continuous analyte sensors. In some embodiments, a method is provided for sequentially advancing an elongated conductive body through a plurality of stations, each configured to treat the elongated conductive body. In some of these embodiments, one or more of the stations is configured to coat the elongated conductive body using a meniscus coating process, whereby a solution formed of a polymer and a solvent is prepared, the solution is continuously circulated to provide a meniscus on a top portion of a vessel holding the solution, and the elongated conductive body is advanced through the meniscus. The method may also comprise the step of removing excess coating material from the elongated conductive body by advancing the elongated conductive body through a die orifice. For example, a provided elongated conductive body 510 is advanced through a pre-coating treatment station 520, through a coating station 530, through a thickness control station 540, through a drying or curing station 550, through a thickness measurement station 560, and through a post-coating treatment station 570.

Described here are embodiments of processes and systems for the continuous manufacturing of implantable continuous analyte sensors. In some embodiments, a method is provided for sequentially advancing an elongated conductive body through a plurality of stations, each configured to treat the elongated conductive body. In some of these embodiments, one or more of the stations is configured to coat the elongated conductive body using a meniscus coating process, whereby a solution formed of a polymer and a solvent is prepared, the solution is continuously circulated to provide a meniscus on a top portion of a vessel holding the solution, and the elongated conductive body is advanced through the meniscus. The method may also comprise the step of removing excess coating material from the elongated conductive body by advancing the elongated conductive body through a die orifice. For example, a provided elongated conductive body 510 is advanced through a pre-coating treatment station 520, through a coating station 530, through a thickness control station 540, through a drying or curing station 550, through a thickness measurement station 560, and through a post-coating treatment station 570.

A system for repairing an intervertebral disc by delivering and curing a biomaterial in situ within the disc. The system includes both a device, having an insertable balloon and related lumen, controls and adapters, as well as an in situ curable biomaterial (and related biomaterial delivery means). The system can allow the doctor to determine a suitable endpoint for biomaterial delivery, by controlling distraction and/or biomaterial delivery pressure, and in turn, to deliver a desired quantity of biomaterial to the balloon in order to achieve improved polymer cure and implant characteristics. Also provided is a related method for repairing an intervertebral disc by using such a system to deliver and cure the biomaterial in situ. The system can be used to implant a prosthetic total disc, or a prosthetic disc nucleus in a manner that leaves the surrounding disc tissue substantially intact.

The present invention is directed to an expandable polymer link hybrid stent for implantation in a body lumen, such as a coronary artery along with a method of making the stent. The stent generally includes a series of metallic cylindrical rings longitudinally aligned on a common axis of the stent and interconnected by a series of polymeric links. The polymer links are formed by applying polymer layers between the rings and laser ablating the excess material. The polymeric material forming the polymeric links, provides longitudinal and flexural flexibility to the stent while maintaining sufficient column strength to space the cylindrical rings along the longitudinal axis. The metallic material forming the rings provides the necessary radial stiffness.

An electrophoretic medium comprises a plurality of particles suspended in a suspending fluid, the particles being capable of moving through the fluid upon application of an electric field to the medium, the fluid having dissolved or dispersed therein a polymer having a number average molecular weight in excess of about 20,000, the polymer being essentially non-absorbing on the particles. The polymer improves the bistability of the display (i.e., the period for which a written image persist without the display being refreshed) but does not greatly increase the viscosity of the suspending fluid, thus keeping the switching time of the display within reasonable limits. The medium may be encapsulated, or may be in the form a polymer-dispersed electrophoretic medium.