Navigation Links
Natural polyester makes new sutures stronger, safer

With the help of a new type of suture based on MIT research, patients who get stitches may never need to have them removed.

A biopolymer suture cleared last month by the FDA is made of materials that the human body produces naturally, so they can be safely absorbed once the wound is healed. They are also 30 percent stronger than sutures now used and very flexible, making them easier for surgeons to work with.

The sutures were developed by Tepha, Inc., a Cambridge company that hopes to use the same material to produce an array of absorbable medical devices, including stents, surgical meshes and possibly a heart valve scaffold, says Simon Williams, CEO of Tepha and a former MIT postdoctoral associate.

Williams said he envisions that the new sutures will be used for abdominal closures, which are prone to re-opening, and to stitch tendons and ligaments.

Developed using a method created at MIT, the absorbable sutures are the first made from material produced by genetically modified bacteria.

About 20 years ago, researchers in the laboratory of MIT biology professor Anthony Sinskey started swapping genes between different bacteria, hoping to achieve industrial production of desirable natural compounds synthesized by those bacteria.

The researchers focused their "biopolymer engineering" efforts on a group of genes that code for enzymes in a pathway that produces polyesters. Those polyesters can be broken down into metabolites naturally produced by humans, so they cause no harm when absorbed.

Once the genes were identified, they could be transferred into a strain of industrial E. coli that can produce large quantities of the strong, flexible polymer.

The FDA cleared the biopolymer sutures on Feb. 8, and Williams said Tepha plans to start marketing them soon, in partnership with another company.

"Not only is it technically and in an engineering sense a tremendous victory, but it's also a v
'"/>

Source:Massachusetts Institute of Technology


Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. Genetically Modified Natural Killer Immune Cells Attack, Kill Leukemia Cells
2. Natural Killers Could Lead to New Hepatitis Treatments
3. Natural tumor suppressor in body discovered by UCSD medical researchers
4. Naturally occurring asbestos linked to lung cancer
5. Natural compound from pond scum shows potential activity against Alzheimers
6. Natural selection at single gene demonstrated
7. Natural vitamin E tocotrienol reaches blood at protective levels
8. Natural pine bark extract relieves muscle cramp and pain in athletes and diabetics
9. Natural protein stops deadly human brain cancer in mice
10. Natural anti-viral enzyme helps keep cancer cells alive, researchers find
11. Natural gut hormone offers hope for new obesity drug
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
TAG: Natural polyester makes new sutures stronger safer

(Date:5/22/2013)... of potential environmental and human health effects from ... year has led scientists to recommend stronger government ... lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery materials. That,s the conclusion of ... Environmental Science & Technology . , Oladele A. ... have become mainstays for powering everything from smart ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... feared Legionella pneumophila bacteria is responsible for ... In order to infect us, this pathogen has developed ... go unnoticed in our cells, thus avoiding these acting ... Basque biosciences research centre, CIC bioGUNE, in which teams ... USA and the National Supercomputation Centre in Barcelona (BSC) ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... 22, 2013 Early screening for prostate cancer could ... is for women, thanks to UC Irvine research published ... Society . , After more than a decade of ... clearly identify clinically usable markers for prostate cancer in ... sooner, with greater accuracy and at dramatically lower cost. ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Mechanism discovered which aids Legionella to camouflage itself in the organism 2UCI chemists devise inexpensive, accurate way to detect prostate cancer 2UCI chemists devise inexpensive, accurate way to detect prostate cancer 3
... pigs in Europe, which many archaeologists believed to be ... the Middle East by Stone Age farmers, new research ... by archaeologists at Durham University, which is published today ... of Sciences USA, analysed mitochondrial DNA from ancient and ...
... key part of many modern technologies -- is about ... a new process invented by Princeton engineers. The ... lines, or gratings, separated by as few as 60 ... -- on microchips. Features of this size have many ...
... the sea, or simply look along the bottom of a clear ... Look closer, and you will see them feeling around with their ... miniature feelers at the top of their heads between the long ... used for getting a physical feel of an area, such as ...
Cached Biology News:Pig study sheds new light on the colonisation of Europe by early farmers 2Princeton engineers develop low-cost recipe for patterning microchips 2Inside the brain of a crayfish 2Inside the brain of a crayfish 3
(Date:5/22/2013)... N.H. , May 22, 2013  Superior ... the Year 2013" by Business NH Magazine.  For ... Granite State organizations that distinguish themselves with extraordinary ... very proud to receive this honor," said ... Controls.  "As with any recognition, this award is ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... Switzerland (PRWEB) May 22, 2013 ... for industrial biotechnology, drug discovery, and life science ... Genedata Selector ™ as its bioinformatics platform ... production-relevant organisms. Genedata will provide AB Enzymes, one ... with a hosted solution of Genedata Selector accompanied ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... AudioNotch is the leading ... AudioNotch is pleased to announce a partnership with ... both British Columbia and Alberta, Destination Hearing is ... AudioNotch's tinnitus treatment program is now available at ... Hearing clinic, patients have the detection of their ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... 22, 2013 Express Diagnostics Int’l, ... Ltd are pleased to announce a sponsorship agreement ... and New Zealand distributor of DrugCheck® onsite testing devices, ... participated in the Austin 400 May 17-19 in Austin, ... agreement that involves each car of the Erebus Motorsport ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Superior Controls of Seabrook, NH named Business of the Year for 2013 by Business NH Magazine 2AB Enzymes Chooses Genedata Selector for Production Strain Development and Optimization 2AB Enzymes Chooses Genedata Selector for Production Strain Development and Optimization 3AB Enzymes Chooses Genedata Selector for Production Strain Development and Optimization 4AudioNotch Tinnitus Treatment Launches Partnership With Destination Hearing 2Australian Distributor of Express Diagnostics Signs Sponsorship Agreement with V8 Supercar Team 2
... 5, 2011 Debiopharm Group™ (Debiopharm), a ... development and companion diagnostics, today presented the ,JCA-Mauvernay Award, ... Research Institute in Tokyo, for his basic research on ... to Doctor Mineo Kurokawa from the University of Tokyo, ...
... Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE ) announced today it will ... 25, 2011, after market close. The company will also hold ... to discuss operating results, as well as future expectations. ... can be accessed through the investor relations page of the ...
... Md., Oct. 4, 2011 Northwest Biotherapeutics (OTC.BB: ... be presenting at the second annual Cancer Immunotherapy: ... at the New York Academy of Medicine in ... opinion leaders, industry executives, and other stakeholders to ...
Cached Biology Technology:The Japanese Cancer Association and Debiopharm Group™ Present Doctors Arakawa and Kurokawa With the 2011 'JCA-Mauvernay Award' for Their Innovative and Outstanding Research in the Field of Cancer 2The Japanese Cancer Association and Debiopharm Group™ Present Doctors Arakawa and Kurokawa With the 2011 'JCA-Mauvernay Award' for Their Innovative and Outstanding Research in the Field of Cancer 3Life Technologies Sets 3rd Quarter 2011 Earnings Release Date for Tuesday, October 25, 2011 2NORTHWEST BIO Will Present at the Second Annual "Cancer Immunotherapy: A Long Awaited Reality Conference" at the New York Academy of Medicine, October 6, 2011 2NORTHWEST BIO Will Present at the Second Annual "Cancer Immunotherapy: A Long Awaited Reality Conference" at the New York Academy of Medicine, October 6, 2011 3NORTHWEST BIO Will Present at the Second Annual "Cancer Immunotherapy: A Long Awaited Reality Conference" at the New York Academy of Medicine, October 6, 2011 4
Cytosol/Particulate Rapid Separation Kit Research Focus: other Storage Temperature: -20C Shipping Temperature: 4C...
Request Info...
Purified anti-human CD182 (CXCR2)...
Peptide-affinity Purified Polyclonal Antibody to Purinergic Receptor P2Y12...
Biology Products: