Biocompatible Crosslinked Gel for Tissue Volume
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current viscoelastic solutions for tissue volume increase and fluid replacement face issues such as inflammatory reactions, granuloma formation, and rapid degradation, leading to frequent medical interventions and decreased quality of life, particularly with permanent products and biodegradable gels that are quickly eliminated.
Innovation Solution
A biocompatible crosslinked gel is produced through a process involving the crosslinking of biocompatible polymers with a crosslinking agent, followed by the addition of a supplemental polymer of high molecular weight to create a monophasic, polydensified, and cohesive gel that can be easily injected and persist in vivo for a longer duration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If permanent products (silicone, microparticular solids) are used to increase tissue volume, then long-term persistence is achieved, but inflammatory reactions, granuloma formation, and migration of fragments occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters by using biocompatible polymers (hyaluronic acid, collagen, gelatin, alginate, chitosan) with specific molecular weights and crosslinking degrees. The crosslinking density and polymer composition are optimized to achieve both long-term persistence (up to 2 years) and biocompatibility, eliminating inflammatory reactions while maintaining duration of action.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates composite gel materials by combining multiple biocompatible polymers (e.g., hyaluronic acid with collagen, or crosslinked polymer networks with natural polymers). These composite structures provide enhanced mechanical properties, prolonged persistence, and improved biocompatibility, preventing granuloma formation while maintaining tissue volume increase.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If biodegradable gels are used to increase tissue volume, then biocompatibility is improved, but rapid degradation occurs leading to frequent medical interventions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the molecular weight of polymers (e.g., hyaluronic acid with MW > 1,000,000 g/mol) and controls crosslinking density to regulate degradation rate. By adjusting these parameters, the gel maintains biocompatibility while extending persistence from days/weeks to months-years, reducing the frequency of medical interventions from repeated to single or rare treatments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary crosslinking to biodegradable polymers before injection, creating a stable gel network that resists rapid degradation. This pre-crosslinking action ensures the gel maintains its structure and volume in vivo for extended periods while remaining biocompatible, preventing the rapid elimination that would require frequent re-injections.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If highly crosslinked gels are used to increase persistence, then duration of action is improved, but injectability becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates gels with dynamic crosslinking characteristics that allow the material to transition between different states. The gel remains injectable (flowable) under injection pressure but maintains high crosslinking density once implanted, ensuring both ease of injection through fine needles and long-term persistence in tissue without requiring separate injection and setting steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary crosslinking to achieve the desired persistence properties before the gel is injected, rather than requiring crosslinking to occur after injection. This allows the gel to be prepared with optimal crosslinking density for long-term stability while maintaining injectability during the injection process, eliminating the need for complex post-injection activation steps.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The resulting gel reduces the risk of inflammatory reactions, allows for easier injectability, and provides long-term persistence, spacing out medical interventions and improving patient quality of life by maintaining tissue volume and fluid supplementation effectively.
Implementation Method 1
beginning crosslinkage of a predetermined quantity of at least one biocompatible polymer in solution by the addition of a quantity of crosslinking agent, of the crosslinking reaction of said quantity of polymer
Implementation Method 2
adding a supplemental quantity of polymer of a molecular weight higher than 500,000 Da in solution with dilution of the reaction mixture so as to decrease the overall concentration of the polymer in solution
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for producing a biocompatible crosslinked gel consisting in crosslinking a determined quantity of at least one type of liquid biocompatible polymer by adding a quantity of crosslinking agent, in carrying out a crosslinking reaction, in adding an additional quantity of liquid polymer whose molecular mass is greater than 500,000 Da, in solving the reaction mixture in such a way that the total concentration of the liquid polymer is reduced, in crosslinking and in stopping the crosslinking reaction by removing the crosslinking agent. The inventive gel and the use thereof are also disclosed.