Structures and methods for promoting vascularization
AssigneeUniversity of Washington
InventorJoan E. Sanders
Life of this patent
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Abstract
One aspect of the present invention provides implantable medical devices that comprise: (a) a device body; and (b) a surface layer attached to at least a portion of the device body, the surface layer comprising: (1) a surface layer body that defines an internal surface attached to the device body, and an external surface; and (2) a multiplicity of blood vessels disposed within the surface layer body, the blood vessels opening onto the external face of the surface layer body. The present invention also provides synthetic biocompatible materials, methods for making synthetic biocompatible materials, and methods for making implantable medical devices.
Claims19
A method of making an implantable medical device, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) contacting an angiogenic biological material with a biocompatible material under conditions that enable the growth of blood vessels from the angiogenic biological material into the biocompatible material;
- (b) separating the biocompatible material from the angiogenic biological material under conditions that retain within the biocompatible material at least a portion of the blood vessels that have grown into the biocompatible material;
- and
- (c) incorporating the biocompatible material prepared in accordance with steps (a) and (b) into an implantable medical device.
A method of making a biocompatible material, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) contacting an angiogenic biological material with a biocompatible material;
- and
- (b) stretching the angiogenic biological material under conditions that stimulate or enhance the growth of blood vessels from the angiogenic biological material into the biocompatible material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.