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AssigneeSt. Jude Medical, Inc.
InventorsMatthew F. Ogle, Richard F. Schroeder
Estimating the term…
Crosslinking to prepare fixed tissue or to crosslink modification molecules to tissue is carried out with an apparatus and method wherein diffusion through a semipermeable is used to provide a selected molecular weight distribution of oligomers of a crosslinking compound that polymerizes spontaneously in solution to produce oligomers such as glutaraldehyde. The membrane has a molecular weight exclusion limit that prevents oligomers above a certain molecular weight from passing. Tissues treated with the size selected oligomers have improved properties. In the apparatus, the membrane separates a solution containing the crosslinking compound and oligomers from a solution in which crosslinking is carried out. The selected molecular weight distribution of oligomers diffuses through the membrane into the solution where tissue is crosslinked or a beneficial molecule is crosslinked to tissue.
An apparatus comprising:
A method of fixing tissue comprising contacting a tissue with a crosslinking solution comprising a self-polymerizing crosslinking compound and oligomers thereof, said crosslinking compound and oligomers thereof within said crosslinking solution having passed through a semipermeable membrane from a source solution comprising said crosslinking compound and oligomers thereof to provide a distribution of oligomer sizes within said crosslinking solution.
A method of crosslinking a molecule to a tissue comprising contacting both said tissue and said molecule together with a crosslinking solution comprising a self-polymerizing crosslinking compound and oligomers thereof, said crosslinking compound and oligomers thereof within said crosslinking solution having diffused through a semipermeable membrane from a source solution comprising said crosslinking compound and oligomers thereof to provide a distribution of oligomer sizes within said crosslinking solution.
A fixed tissue comprising tissue having crosslinks comprised of a self-polymerizing crosslinking compound and oligomers thereof, said crosslinking compound and oligomers thereof having a molecular weight distribution determined by diffusion through a semipermeable membrane in contact with an aqueous, source solution comprising from about 0.5 percent by weight to about 10 percent by weight of said self-polymerizing crosslinking compound, said semipermeable membrane being permeable to molecules with a molecular weight no more than about 20,000 daltons.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.