Hetero-assembling, tunable, and injectable hydrogels for cell encapsulation
Patent Number: US9399068
Executive Summary:
General Description:
Cell transplantation is a proven method of treatment for certain immunological disorders and has shown promising effects for a variety of medical conditions. Hydrogels are ideal materials for implantation because they introduce very low levels of foreign matter into the body and promote maximum diffusion of biomolecules throughout the scaffold due to their high-water content. However, the assembly of polymers into physical hydrogels for cell encapsulation has mostly been governed using external triggers. Upon injection, the material equilibrates to physiological conditions and undergoes a phase change to the gel state. Because transplanted cells are highly sensitive to these non-physiological conditions, these triggers can be irreversibly detrimental to the encapsulated cells and accompanying proteins; and furthermore, these environmental conditions can be difficult to reproducibly control in a clinical setting. Therefore, current injection techniques within physical hydrogels can result in substantial loss of transplanted viable cells. The present invention addresses at least some of the current problems and advances the art by introducing a physical hydrogel capable of encapsulating cells, drugs and proteins without subjecting them to variations in pH, temperature, or ionic strength.
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Patent Status:
Inventor Bio: Sarah C. Heilshorn
https://profiles.stanford.edu/sarah-heilshorn
Executive Summary:
- Invention Type: Therapeutic
- Patent Status: Issued (Grant date: 2016-07-26)
- Patent Link: https://patents.google.com/patent/US9399068/
- Research Institute: Stanford University
- Disease Focus: Cancer and related diseases
- Basis of Invention: A viscoelastic hydrogel based on a protein hetero-assembled with a polymer is provided. The protein cannot self-assemble with itself and the polymer cannot self-assemble with itself. The protein has a first association sequence and the polymer has a second association sequence. The first association sequence and the second association sequence are physically cross-linked to interact with each other to form a three-dimensional scaffold
- How it works: The cells may be integrated with the viscoelastic hydrogel using a variety of methods. For example, the viscoelastic hydrogel may be submersed in an appropriate growth medium for the cells of interest, and then directly exposed to the cells. The cells are allowed to proliferate on the surface and migrate into and through the viscoelastic hydrogel. The viscoelastic hydrogel is then removed from the nutrient medium (which can vary depending on cell type), washed if necessary, and implanted.
- Lead Challenge Inventor: Sarah C. Heilshorn
- Inventors: Heilshorn; Sarah C. (Mountain View, CA), Mulyasasmita; Widya (Mountain View, CA), Cai; Lei (Palo Alto, CA)
- Development Stage: In vitro data
- Novelty: Maybe more specific and tunable to different applications than the existing products
- Clinical Applications: Cell transplantation therapy, drug delivery devices
General Description:
Cell transplantation is a proven method of treatment for certain immunological disorders and has shown promising effects for a variety of medical conditions. Hydrogels are ideal materials for implantation because they introduce very low levels of foreign matter into the body and promote maximum diffusion of biomolecules throughout the scaffold due to their high-water content. However, the assembly of polymers into physical hydrogels for cell encapsulation has mostly been governed using external triggers. Upon injection, the material equilibrates to physiological conditions and undergoes a phase change to the gel state. Because transplanted cells are highly sensitive to these non-physiological conditions, these triggers can be irreversibly detrimental to the encapsulated cells and accompanying proteins; and furthermore, these environmental conditions can be difficult to reproducibly control in a clinical setting. Therefore, current injection techniques within physical hydrogels can result in substantial loss of transplanted viable cells. The present invention addresses at least some of the current problems and advances the art by introducing a physical hydrogel capable of encapsulating cells, drugs and proteins without subjecting them to variations in pH, temperature, or ionic strength.
Strengths:
- The technique may be more versatile that the existing ones
Weaknesses:
- Cost may be an issue
Patent Status:
- Patent App 1 (12455996): Jun 9, 2009
- Patent App 2 (61060144): Jun 10, 2008
- Patent App 3 (61989577): May 7, 2014
- Patent Grant date: July 26, 2016
- Publication date: Oct 15, 2015
Inventor Bio: Sarah C. Heilshorn
https://profiles.stanford.edu/sarah-heilshorn