Description:
Princeton Docket # 15-3163-1
Researchers at Princeton University, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, have developed a new hydrogel material.
This invention describes a new type of hydrogel material composed of flexible hydrophilic microfibers. A concentrated suspension of the microfibers undergoes irreversible gelation using a simple mechanical process. The fiber hydrogel exhibits typical properties of a gel: the mechanical properties are consistent with that of a soft viscoelastic solid and it swells in water. The hydrogel forms in situ, so it can be used as an injectable hydrogel, where it forms immediately upon extrusion from a needle, with potential applications in tissue engineering, drug delivery and wound dressings. The product does not rely on additional chemical reactions to form the hydrogel so the system is gentle and suitable for cells and biological materials. The fibers used in the hydrogel may contain encapsulated cargos for delivery applications.
Applications
• Tissue engineering
• Drug delivery
• Wound dressings
Advantages
• Biocompatible
• Safe
• Easy to implement
• Can be engineered to meet specific needs
The Inventors
Howard A. Stone, Donald R. Dixon and Elizabeth W. Dixon Professor in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Chair
Howard Stone is the Donald R. Dixon '69 and Elizabeth W. Dixon Professor in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University. His research has been concerned with a variety of fundamental problems in fluid motions dominated by viscosity, so-called low Reynolds number flows, and has frequently featured a combination of theory, computer simulation and modeling, and experiments to provide a quantitative understanding of the flow phenomenon under investigation. Prof. Stone is the recipient of the most prestigious fluid mechanics prize, the Batchelor Prize 2008, for the best research in fluid mechanics in the last ten years. He is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Sciences.
Janine Nunes is an Associate Research Scholar in Professor Howard A. Stone's research group in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at Princeton University. She earned her PhD in chemistry from the University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill, in the area of polymer particle synthesis and lithography. Her current research interests are in the use of multiphase microfluidics to template precursor liquid phases for the controlled fabrication of novel micro-objects, such as microfibers and core-shell/hollow microspheres.
Antonio Perazzo is a postdoctoral research associate in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at Princeton University under the supervision of prof. Howard A. Stone. He obtained his PhD degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Naples “Federico II”. His research has been devoted to organic flow chemistry, Rheology and Rheo-optical characterization of complex fluids such as emulsion, gels and suspensions. He is currently member of the Society of Rheology and American Physical Society.
Stefano Guido is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Napoli “Federico II”, Italy. His research activity is mainly addressed to the flow behavior of deformable systems, such as droplets, vesicles and living cells. The approach used in his research is mostly experimental and is based on flow visualization by advanced microscopy techniques coupled with image analysis. Prof. Guido is engaged in several industrial collaborations on problems concerning complex fluids.
Intellectual Property & Development status
Patent protection is pending.
Princeton is currently seeking commercial partners for the further development and commercialization of this opportunity.
Contact:
Michael R. Tyerech
Princeton University Office of Technology Licensing
• (609) 258-6762• tyerech@princeton.edu
Xin (Shane) Peng
Princeton University Office of Technology Licensing
• (609) 258-5579• xinp@princeton.edu