# US 9,517,598 B2 · Method for making self-assembling, collagen-based material for corneal replacement

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- Number: US 9,517,598 B2
- Document ID: US9517598B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/971,513
- Filed: 2013-08-20
- Published: 2013-12-19
- Granted: 2016-12-13
- Earliest claimed: 2006-03-13
- Assignees: University of South Florida
- Applicants: University of South Florida; Shriners Hospitals for Children
- Inventors: W. Garrett Matthews; August Heim; Thomas J. Koob
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9517598B2

## CPC

- B29D 11/00: Producing optical elements, e.g. lenses or prisms (grinding or polishing of optical elements B24B; constructional form of optical elements G02B; {optical parts of spectacles G02C7/00})
- A61F 2/142: {Cornea, e.g. artificial corneae, keratoprostheses or corneal implants for repair of defective corneal tissue}
- A61L 27/24: Collagen
- A61L 27/3604: {characterised by the human or animal origin of the biological material, e.g. hair, fascia, fish scales, silk, shellac, pericardium, pleura, renal tissue, amniotic membrane, parenchymal tissue, fetal tissue, muscle tissue, fat tissue, enamel}
- C07K 1/14: Extraction; Separation; Purification
- A61L 2430/16: for reconstruction of eye parts, e.g. intraocular lens, cornea
- B29D: PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE (making granules B29B9/00; making preforms B29B11/00)
- A61F: FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS (dental prosthetics A61C)
- A61L: METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS IN GENERAL; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES (preservation of bodies or disinfecting characterised by the agents employed A01N; preserving, e.g. sterilising, food or foodstuffs A23; preparations for medical, dental or toiletry purposes A61K)
- C07K: PEPTIDES (peptides in foodstuffs A23; obtaining protein compositions for foodstuffs, working-up proteins for foodstuffs A23J; preparations for medicinal purposes A61K; peptides containing beta-lactam rings C07D; cyclic dipeptides not having in their molecule any other peptide link than those which form their ring, e.g. piperazine-2,5-diones, C07D; ergot alkaloids of the cyclic peptide type C07D519/02; macromolecular compounds having statistically distributed amino acid units in their molecules, i.e. when the preparation does not provide for a specific; but for a random sequence of the amino acid units, homopolyamides and block copolyamides derived from amino acids C08G69/00; macromolecular products derived from proteins C08H1/00; preparation of glue or gelatine C09H; single cell proteins, enzymes C12N; genetic engineering processes for obtaining peptides C12N15/00; compositions for measuring or testing processes involving enzymes C12Q; investigation or analysis of biological material G01N33/00)

## Abstract

A material derived from sea cucumber collagen fibrils is suitable for use in corneal replacements or as an implantable contact lens. To produce material, the collagen fibrils are centrifuged into orthogonal stacks of lamellae comprised of aligned fibrils. The resulting structure is a transparent film of arbitrary thickness very similar in structure to mammalian corneal tissue.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for producing a material suitable for ophthalmic purposes, comprising:
obtaining collagen fibrils; and
forming the collagen fibrils into a transparent film,
wherein forming the collagen fibrils into a transparent film comprises:
centrifuging an aqueous preparation of the collagen fibrils to obtain a pellet of the collagen fibrils; and
lyophilizing the pellet on a template, thereby forming the transparent film on the template.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, further comprising producing a desired geometry for the transparent film.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method according to claim 2, wherein producing a desired geometry for the transparent film comprises selecting a shape for the template.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The method according to claim 2, wherein the desired geometry for the transparent film comprises a geometry suitable for corneal replacement.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The method according to claim 2, wherein the desired geometry for the transparent film comprises a geometry suitable for use in conjunction with or as part of a contact lens.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, further comprising repeatedly depositing collagen fibrils onto the template to achieve a desired thickness of the transparent film.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the template comprises a polymeric or plastic material.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the transparent film comprises the collagen fibrils aligned in a lamellar structure of orthogonal stacks.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein obtaining collagen fibrils comprises obtaining collagen fibrils isolated from an organism.