Hydrogel News and Research

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Novel organic metamaterial holds promise for drug delivery

A bit reminiscent of the Terminator T-1000, a new material created by Cornell researchers is so soft that it can flow like a liquid and then, strangely, return to its original shape.

7 Dec 2012

Engineers develop simple and inexpensive way to create 3-D brain tissues in lab dishes

Borrowing from microfabrication techniques used in the semiconductor industry, MIT and Harvard Medical School (HMS) engineers have developed a simple and inexpensive way to create three-dimensional brain tissues in a lab dish.

30 Nov 2012

New therapeutic technique to repair and rebuild muscle for degenerative muscle disorders

A study published today in BioMed Central's open access journal Skeletal Muscle reports of a new therapeutic technique to repair and rebuild muscle for sufferers of degenerative muscle disorders. The therapy brings together two existing techniques for muscle repair - cell transplantation and tissue engineering - specifically, mesoangioblast stem cells delivered via a hydrogel cell-carrier matrix.

26 Nov 2012

Shear thinning hydrogels hold promise in treating many diseases, including cancer

Gels that can be injected into the body, carrying drugs or cells that regenerate damaged tissue, hold promise for treating many types of disease, including cancer. However, these injectable gels don't always maintain their solid structure once inside the body.

16 Nov 2012

Scientists to develop hydrogels that can be injected into patients to form active biological scaffolds

Smart scaffolding that can guide cells, proteins and small-molecule drugs to make new tissue and repair damage inside the body is in the works at Rice University.

14 Nov 2012

New test device allows 'more real-life modeling' of contact lens wear

Modern contact lens materials are prone to drying when exposed to air, which contributes to the buildup of deposits on contact lenses, according to a study - "The Impact of Intermittent Air Exposure on Lipid Deposition", appearing in the November issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

6 Nov 2012

BioTime forms new wholly owned subsidiary

BioTime, Inc., an Alameda-based company engaged in research and development of innovative new products in the field of regenerative medicine utilizing stem cells and related technology, announced today that it has formed a new wholly owned subsidiary, BioTime Acquisition Corporation, to pursue opportunities and acquire assets and businesses in the fields of stem cells and regenerative medicine.

29 Sep 2012

Harvard experts create biocompatible hydrogel

A team of experts in mechanics, materials science, and tissue engineering at Harvard have created an extremely stretchy and tough gel that may pave the way to replacing damaged cartilage in human joints.

6 Sep 2012

Control of siRNA could aid regenerative medicine, cancer therapy

Some of the body's own genetic material, known as small interfering RNA (siRNA), can be packaged then unleashed as a precise and persistent technology to guide cell behavior, researchers at Case Western Reserve University report in the current issue of the journal, Acta Biomaterialia.

28 Aug 2012

Encouraging results from Ocular Therapeutix's travoprost Phase II trial on glaucoma

Following encouraging results from Ocular Therapeutix's travoprost punctum plug feasibility study, the company is now entering a pilot Phase II clinical trial to examine a two-month sustained release drug (OTX-TP2) for the treatment of ocular hypertension and glaucoma.

21 Aug 2012

Cancer patients with xerostomia can benefit from regenerative research

Biologists, surgical oncologists and regenerative medicine specialists from Rice University, the University of Delaware and the Christiana Care Health System in Wilmington, Del., have begun a four-year program aimed at using cells to grow whole salivary glands that can replace those destroyed by cancer radiation therapy.

16 Aug 2012

Ephrin-A5 blocks formation of new connections between neurons after stroke

Researchers at UCLA have identified a novel molecule in the brain that, after stroke, blocks the formation of new connections between neurons. As a result, it limits the brain's recovery. In a mouse model, the researchers showed that blocking this molecule-called ephrin-A5--induces axonal sprouting, that is, the growth of new connections between the brain's neurons, or cells, and as a result promotes functional recovery.

29 Jul 2012

Long-term use of reverse geometry lenses may induce inflammatory response

Continuous long-term overnight use of reverse geometry lenses results in a significantly increased presence of inflammatory mediators compared with wearing 30-night silicone-hydrogel contact lenses or wearing no lenses, show study results.

27 Jul 2012

Ocular Therapeutix announces results from sustained release OTX-TP1 study on glaucoma

Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. announced today initial results of their sustained release travoprost-loaded punctum plug feasibility study for the treatment of glaucoma. This travoprost punctum plug (OTX-TP1) was evaluated for the reduction of elevated intraocular pressure in subjects with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension over a 30 day period.

24 Jul 2012