Medical Polymer Materials Development for Healthcare Applications

Biodegradable polymeric films for preventing tissue adhesion following surgery and/or for delivering therapeutic agents. The films are made from biodegradable polymers crosslinked using degradable crosslinking agents like glycidyl or peptide groups. The films can be made by dispersing a prepolymer solution containing the monomers, crosslinking agents, and initiator. The crosslinking agents degrade through chemical hydrolysis or enzymatic action, allowing the films to break down over time.

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Medical devices made from biodegradable polymers with improved mechanical properties for applications like sutures, bone screws, scaffolds, and stents. The devices have biodegradable polymers with specific crystallinity ranges and contain small molecule organic compounds that diffuse into the polymer. The compounds have molecular weights between 100 and 1000 Daltons and are non-evaporating or low-evaporating. The method involves infusing the compounds into the polymer devices and optionally removing them afterward.

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Medical devices and materials that have high strength, high resilience and/or crush recoverability, and are biocompatible, biodegradable and/or radiopaque. The devices are made from latently cross-linkable biodegradable polymers that can be shaped and then cross-linked to form the final device. The cross-linking is initiated after the polymer is formed into the desired device shape. The latently cross-linkable polymers have functional groups that can react to form cross-links between polymer chains. This allows the polymers to have properties like toughness, resiliency, impact-resistance and crush recoverability. The devices can be used in applications like vascular stents, drug delivery implants, and joint replacements where high strength and resilience are needed. The biodegradability allows the devices to be absorbed over time. The radiop

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Polymer compositions for medical devices that have improved mechanical properties like strength and ductility compared to traditional biodegradable polymers like PLA. The compositions contain blends of biodegradable polymers like PLLA, PLLA-co-PCL, and PLLA-co-TMC. These blends can be reinforced with fibers and also contain inorganic particles. The blends are annealed to improve ductility. The compositions have tailored mechanical properties suitable for load-bearing medical devices like orthopedic implants. The blends can be processed into filaments and drawn fibers for reinforcement.

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Biodegradable scaffolds for skeletal tissue regeneration that can provide temporary structural support to regenerating skeletal tissue and degrade concurrently with the migration of bone marrow stromal cells. The scaffolds are made by reacting a fumaryl compound with a biodegradable polymer like polylactide, polyglycolide, or poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) copolymer. The fumarate groups provide sites for crosslinking and in-situ hardening. The biodegradable polymers have low molecular weights and low polydispersity indices for optimal crosslinking density. Ceramic particles can also be incorporated for treating hard skeletal tissue.

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Biodegradable polymer compositions for implantable medical devices like stents that degrade over time after implantation. The polymers are derived from dioxanone and other ester, carbonate, or ether monomers. The polymers have properties like biodegradability, flexibility, biocompatibility, and drug delivery control for applications like stent coatings. The compositions can also contain other biocompatible, non-fouling, biobeneficial, or biologically active agents.

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Medical devices like stents with bioerodable coatings containing biodegradable polymers, therapeutic agents, and plasticizers. The plasticizers modulate drug release rate and bioerosion behavior while improving mechanical properties like flexibility. The plasticizers can be monomers, oligomers, or short polymers based on the biodegradable polymer monomers. Adding plasticizers allows tailoring drug release, degradation rate, and mechanical properties in a synergistic way.

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Biodegradable copolymers for use in implantable medical devices and drug delivery systems. The copolymers are made from a monomer derived from ring opening of γ-butyrolactone, along with other hydrophilic and hydrophobic monomers like lactide, PEG, trimethylene carbonate, caprolactone. These biodegradable polymers have adjustable properties like Tg, elasticity, hydrophilicity, drug loading ability by varying the monomer ratios. The polymers can be used to coat medical devices like stents for controlled drug release, and the coating properties can be tuned for specific drugs and device surfaces.

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A biodegradable material for biomedical applications that reduces inflammation and promotes tissue regeneration compared to traditional biodegradable polyesters like polylactides and polyglycolides. The material is a composite of biodegradable polyesters like PLA and PLGA combined with calcium phosphates like amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP). The calcium phosphates help neutralize acidic degradation products and promote tissue regeneration, while the polyesters provide mechanical strength. The composite reduces inflammation compared to just the polyesters alone.

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Biodegradable elastomers for medical implants and devices that dissolve or degrade in vivo to be absorbed by the body. The elastomers are poly(ester-urethane) copolymers containing biodegradable ester links. They are synthesized by reacting polyols with cyclic lactones and isocyanates. The ester segments make the elastomers biodegradable when exposed to physiological conditions. The degradation rate can be tuned by varying the ester components. The biodegradable elastomers have applications in medical implants and devices that dissolve harmlessly in the body after use.

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Medical devices like stents with a two-region design to control drug release. The outer region contains the drug and a biodegradable polymer. The inner region contains a degradation promoting agent. The outer region degrades at an initial rate based on factors like polymer properties and thickness. But when water penetrates from the inner region, the degradation rate increases. This allows regulated drug release from the outer region while accelerating biodegradation.

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Biodegradable polymers for forming and coating implantable medical devices that can control drug release. The polymers are made from modified caprolactone monomers like 4-tert-butyl caprolactone, trimethylene carbonate, lactide, glycolide, octanediol, and PEG. They have polyester and polyether backbones. The polymers are biocompatible, biodegradable, and can deliver hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs. They have tunable properties like glass transition temperatures (Tg) by varying the monomer ratios. This allows controlling drug elution rates. Coating medical devices with these polymers provides a localized drug delivery option. The implantable devices can also be made entirely from the biodegradable polymers.

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Biodegradable implantable medical devices containing biodegradable polymeric regions that degrade in vivo after implantation. The biodegradable polymeric regions contain copolymers with amorphous blocks having Tg below and above body temperature. This allows the implant to degrade in a controlled manner without forming crystalline fragments that cause negative reactions in vivo. The amorphous blocks below 37°C soften and dissolve, while the blocks above 37°C provide strength and elasticity. The degradation rate can be tuned by adjusting the Tg values and block compositions.

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Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biodegradable polymers with controlled degradation rates for medical applications. The PHA compositions have biocompatible polymers that degrade faster than natural PHAs like PBH and PHBV. The degradation rates can be manipulated by modifying the polymer chemical composition, molecular weight, processing conditions, and form. This allows tailoring the biodegradation rate to match the application requirements. The compositions can also contain additives to further accelerate or slow down degradation. Porosity, hydrophilicity, and surface area are increased to speed up degradation, while hydrophobic coatings or blending with hydrophobic substances decreases degradation.

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Biodegradable polymers for implantable medical devices that can deliver therapeutic agents at controlled rates. The polymers are crystalline or semi-crystalline poly(ester urea) (PEU) with backbones containing amino acids, diols, and p-toluenesulfonic acid. They degrade by hydrolysis catalyzed by bodily enzymes. The polymers can be synthesized interfacially using phosgene. The polymers can also have bioactive agents covalently linked to them.

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Biodegradable medical polymers for implantable devices like stents that can be tuned to match specific drug elution rates and provide greater control over resorbability. The polymers have functional side chains on the polyester backbone, like hydroxyl, amine, thiol, phosphoryl choline, etc. These functional groups enable derivatization and modification for customized polymer properties. The functionalized biodegradable polymers can be used to coat medical devices or create the device structure itself. The tunable degradation rates, compatibility with drugs, and biocompatibility make them useful for applications like drug-eluting stents that need controlled release of drugs to prevent restenosis.

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Biodegradable medical devices with enhanced mechanical properties and pharmacological functions. The devices are made by blending biodegradable polymers with biocompatible bioactive ceramics. The ceramics improve strength and ductility compared to the polymers alone. The blended mixture can be processed into medical devices like stents and filters. The devices degrade in the body over time. Drugs can be incorporated into the mixture or applied as coatings. The devices can have controlled drug release rates by adjusting drug loading and release kinetics. The ceramics alter degradation rates. The devices can be modified further by coating with additional degradable polymers to fine-tune degradation. The blended materials provide biocompatibility, degradability, and mechanical properties for medical applications.

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Biodegradable disposable medical devices made from hydrolytically degradable polymers that are derived from fatty acids like ricinoleic acid and castor oil. The devices degrade in a few months to a year when exposed to water. The polymers are synthesized by polycondensation of fatty acids with diols and dicarboxylic acids. Adding fatty acids like ricinoleic acid improves properties like flexibility. The devices avoid toxic catalysts and leachables compared to conventional polyesters. Applications include syringes, catheters, tubing, and bags.

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Biodegradable coatings for implantable medical devices like stents that release drugs in a controlled manner. The coatings are made of blended biodegradable polymers with different drug release rates. This allows customization of the drug release profile to provide sustained release over time. The coatings degrade as the device is implanted, releasing drugs at a controlled rate. The blended polymers are chosen to balance initial burst vs sustained release. This provides flexibility in treatment duration and drug delivery.

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Biodegradable polymer blend for medical applications that decomposes in the body faster than conventional biodegradable polymers like PLLA. The blend is made of two copolymers: a first copolymer with lactic acid units (LA) and an annular Depsi peptide (DMO) unit; and a second copolymer with LA units and a different annular Depsi peptide (CL) unit. This blend degrades more rapidly than PLLA due to the DMO and CL units which are more susceptible to enzymatic degradation. The DMO units also improve the mechanical properties compared to PLLA alone. The blend can be used for biodegradable medical devices like sutures, stents, and scaffolds that decompose faster in the body.

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