NovaSterilis Inc. and Cornell researcher Dr. CC Chu awarded a Metropolitan Development Association grant

NovaSterilis, Lansing NY, and Dr. CC Chu were awarded a grant from the Metropolitan Development Association (MDA) to explore the feasibility of utilizing NovaSterilis supercritical co₂ sterilization for a variety of absorbable biomaterials from both commercial and experimental sources.

Dr. Chih-Chang Chu, the Rebecca Q Morgan '60 Professor in the Fiber Science, Dept of Fiber Science & Apparel Design as well as Biomedical Engineering Program at Cornell University, is focused on the development of novel biodegradable biomaterials for the biomedical industry. His work focuses on the design, synthesis and application of both biodegradable “pseudo-proteins” and polysaccharides biomaterials that would have very unusual biological properties such as very low foreign-body induced inflammation as well as supporting natural wound healing to overcome the negative characteristics of current biomaterials. These new biomaterials can be used as the coating for medical devices to reduce or eliminate inflammatory response, wound healing, scaffolds for tissue engineering and drug delivery vehicles.

NovaSterilis Inc, Lansing NY, is committed to the advancement of a supercritical co₂ technology platform. NovaSterilis is currently marketing a terminal sterilization technology that achieves a device industry standard Sterility Assurance Level of 10^-6 in many biomedical products and materials. This grant provided the necessary funding for Dr. Chu and NovaSterilis, both innovators in their specific fields, to explore the utilization of supercritical co₂ sterilization to overcome issues currently encountered when sterilizing absorbable biomaterials, including residual toxic chemicals or material degradation.

“The MDA grant was a wonderful opportunity to explore a potential application of NovaSterilis technology and provide strong initial data to apply for additional funding, or pursue a corporate development partner” stated David C. Burns President and CEO NovaSterilis. “The MDA encourages collaborations and provides the incentive to develop new products or processes, this project has the potential to make profound improvements to current and future products, grow our business, and provide additional jobs in Central New York”.