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TissueGen offers Elute biodegradable drug-loaded fiber

10 Apr '13

3 min read

TissueGen Inc., developer of cutting-edge biodegradable polymer technology for implantable drug delivery across a wide variety of therapeutic applications, announced the availability of it's ELUTE biodegradable drug-loaded fiber products, including pharmaceutical loaded fibers and growth factor loaded fibers.

TissueGen's core technology includes patented processes for extrusion of biodegradable drug-loaded fibers at room temperature. TissueGen's innovative process preserves the biological activity of incorporated drugs and therapeutic agents, thereby enabling drug delivery and sustained therapeutic release through implantable medical devices.

TissueGen's patented extrusion process at room temperature enables delivery of the widest selection of drugs and biologically-based entities directly to targeted internal sites via its ELUTE biodegradable drug-loaded fibers. Tailored design allows tunable release profiles and a unique biomaterial format for delivery of a broad range of therapeutics from small pharmaceuticals to protein-class drugs such as enzymes, growth factors, and even viral particles.

Drugs incorporated in the fiber at the time of extrusion enable implantable medical devices to meet demanding performance requirements using commercially available polymers (i.e, PLLA, PGA, PLGA and PDO) and customers' proprietary materials for specific applications.

ELUTE biodegradable drug-loaded fibers may also be loaded with biologically derived agents such as peptides and protein-class drugs including growth factors, enzymes, cytokines, carbohydrates, oligonucleotides, and even live viruses. TissueGen's patented process provides a high degree of retained biological activity.

TissueGen has extensive experience loading sensitive growth factors such as Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), as well as other sensitive biological molecules including immune proteins, enzymes (i.e. IgG), and live adenoviruses. These sensitive therapeutic agents are ideally suited for advanced research applications to serve as scaffolding in regenerative medical applications.

"ELUTE biodegradable drug-loaded fibers have the potential to revolutionize the capabilities and performance of implantable medical devices resulting in faster healing, improved patient compliance, and lower negative outcomes at relatively low cost," said Christopher Knowles, CEO of TissueGen. "TissueGen loads biodegradable fibers with the widest selection of drugs and therapeutic agents ever possible thanks to our patented room temperature extrusion process resulting in controlled and localized delivery in the body."

Available direct-to-market in fiber format or as a textile through TissueGen's preferred medical textile partner, Biomedical Structures, LLC (BMS), ELUTE biodegradable drug-loaded fibers are ideal for use in implantable medical devices where the ability to deliver drugs may add significant value. ELUTE biodegradable drug-loaded fibers are ideally suited for woven, knitted, or braided formats and BMS offers extensive expertise in manufacturing medical textile devices.

TissueGen's ability to deliver tailored fiber size and strength is critical because these fibers must be capable of being woven, knitted or braided to provide mechanical structural support for demanding medical applications. Medical applications include without limitation custom drug delivery, cardiology, dermal wound healing, peripheral nerve regeneration, sutures, vascular stents and grafts, orthopedics, and general surgery.

TissueGen Inc