Search Results - healthcare

This invention provides structurally well-defined, three-dimensional bone tissue grafts produced from stacked demineralized bone paper (DBP), methods for treating a subject using such bone tissue grafts, methods for making DBP, and in vitro assay systems and methods for assaying the effect of an agent on bone development or health.

Regulatory T cells maintain immunological tolerance and dampen inflammatory responses. Administering regulatory T cells can prevent the immune-mediated tissue destruction of graft-versus-host disease, which frequently accompanies hematopoietic stem cell transfer. This technology provides a simple and effective method to generate and expand a unique population of stable and highly suppressive regulatory T cells, which can be used as a cell-based therapy for the prevention of graft-versus-host disease.

This invention demonstrates the use of polyelectrolyte complexes (PSS/PDADMAC) by leveraging the “saloplastic” properties as well as post-process annealing to fabricate sustainable, high-performance filtration membrane. This approach replaces traditional toxic organic solvents with water and salt, which does not only reduce environmental and health hazards but also simplifies the manufacturing process and cuts down on waste management costs.

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This invention provides a new strategy for nucleic acid delivery by using novel cross-linkable and surface-charge modifiable synthetic polymers. The use of the novel polymer system allows for robust nuclecid-polymer complexation, easy removal of cationic moieties of the polymer and self-crosslinking of the polymer in a single step, and stimuli-responsive release of the nucleic acid molecules in the cell.

This invention provides economical, bio-interactive surfaces and surface treatment methods for selective capture of targeted epithelial cells or other cell types from cell mixtures or complex biological fluids. Preparation or fabrication of the engineered surfaces provided by this technology does not require the use of expensive and unstable biomolecular materials, and the resulting surfaces can distinguish different cell types or cells that express different levels of the same surface adhesion marker. Such engineered surfaces can be used as economical tools for assessment of cancer risk, cancer diagnosis, and tracking of the effectiveness of cancer treatments, among other potential applications.

This technology, developed by a team of polymer scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, provides a versatile and simple method for producing highly resilient synthetic hydrogels with excellent mechanical properties comparable to the most efficient, naturally occurring elastic protein called resilin. The method involves the use of photo-initiated crosslinking reaction of hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymers having reactive end-groups in the presence of a tetra-functional thiol cross-linker. The resultant resilient hydrogels possess network elements of resilin, including a uniform network structure, low crosslink density, and an absence of secondary structures within the crosslinked primary chains. These hydrogels are capable of undergoing significant reversible deformation without energy loss (?97% resilience) at varying water content and show negligible hysteresis across a broad range of strains up to 300%. The swelling capacity, stiffness and fracture toughness of the hydrogels can be easily tuned by controlling the volume fractions of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymers to tailor the hydrogels to the specific needs of end-use applications. Current studies have focused on material elements common in extended wear contact lenses.

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This invention provides a novel therapeutic platform to combat multidrug-resistant bacterial and biofilm infections using engineered polymeric nanoparticles. The polymeric nanoparticles can penetrate and eradicate pre-formed bacterial biofilms while maintaining high therapeutic indices. The nanoparticles are formed via self-assembly of engineered synthetic polymers in aqueous solutions, without the need to use any organic solvent or purification procedures.