The present invention relates to a self-assembling polypeptide, such as a spider silk polypeptide, for use as a coating material to form a uniform coating around an implant for the purpose of reducing or preventing capsular fibrosis associated with the use of such an implant in the human body.

Disclosed are methods, devices and materials for the in situ formation of a nerve cap and/or a nerve wrap to inhibit neuroma formation following planned or traumatic nerve injury. The method includes the steps of identifying a severed end of a nerve, and positioning the severed end into a cavity defined by a form. A transformable media is introduced into the form cavity to surround the severed end. The media is permitted to undergo a transformation from a first, relatively flowable state to a second, relatively non flowable state to form a protective barrier surrounding the severed end. The media may be a hydrogel, and the transformation may produce a synthetic crosslinked hydrogel protective barrier. The media may include at least one anti-regeneration agent to inhibit nerve regrowth

Modifying corneal shape involves implantation of a segment of tissue in the corneal stroma, where the properties of the tissue segment and its anatomical placement provide a change in corneal topography. In particular, such methods and materials can be used for correction of defects in corneal shape, such as corneal ectasias.

A heart valve assembly includes an inner frame comprising a graft covering housing a prosthetic heart valve. The graft covering extends around the prosthetic heart valve for providing sealing to the heart valve, an outer frame formed from a metallic material and defining a gridded configuration, and being secured to the graft covering by a plurality of stitches, and a sealing material positioned externally to the outer frame for providing sealing between the outer frame and a patient's anatomical wall to prevent paravalvular leaks. The sealing material includes a plurality of radially extending fibers that extend outwardly of the outer frame. The graft covering is made of polyester, polytetrafluoroethylene, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, or a polymer.

A prosthetic heart valve for implant in a human. The valve includes a wireform with undulating inflow cusps and outflow commissure posts to which flexible leaflets attach and coapt in a flow area. Each leaflet may drape over the top of the wireform in the cusp area, but have tabs that each extend underneath the wireform at the commissure posts to be secured along with a tab of an adjacent leaflet. The prosthetic heart valve may also be a dual-wire wireform, with the leaflets sandwiched therebetween. One wireform may be larger than the other, with the leaflets extending over the smaller wireform. The smaller wireform may have commissures that bend radially outward from the larger wireform to provide structure to which the leaflet tabs attach.

A transcatheter valve assembly replacement device includes an improved paravalvular seal.

The abstract has been amended to the following: “A heart valve replacement device for endovascular repair is provided. The heart valve replacement device includes a plurality of fibers for creating a seal with an anatomy of the patient. A heart valve carried by an inner graft covering. The plurality of fibers form an outer seal for preventing paravalvular leaks between the replacement heart valve and the native valve of a patient.”

There is provided a lens for use in a human or animal body, the lens comprising a metasurface configured to modulate incident light, wherein the metasurface is composed of at least one light transmissive biomaterial. Also provided is a method of making the lens.

A method of preparing fiber includes blending bio-compatible ceramic powder and first polyester to form a ceramic powder composition, wherein the bio-compatible ceramic powder and the first polyester have a weight ratio of 10:90 to 60:40. The method further includes blending the ceramic powder composition and second polyester to form a composite material, wherein the ceramic powder composition and the second polyester have a weight ratio of 0.4:99.6 to 40:60. The method also spins the composite material to form a fiber. The first polyester has an intrinsic viscosity (IV) of 0.35 dL/g to 0.55 dL/g, and the second polyester has an intrinsic viscosity (IV) of 0.6 dL/g to 0.8 g/dL. The fiber can be woven to form an artificial ligament/tendon.

A transcatheter valve assembly replacement device includes a paravalvular seal that includes outwardly extending fibers that create a seal with the annulus when the valve assembly is deployed.