A scaffold-free nerve conduit and a method of making the scaffold-free nerve conduit are provided. A nerve-repair method using the scaffold-free nerve conduit also is provided.

An example medical device includes a vascular device, such as a catheter, and an anti-thrombogenic coating on a surface of the vascular device, such as a surface likely to contact blood. The anti-thrombogenic coating includes one or more peptides configured to interact with fibrinogen in the blood, such as a first type of peptides configured to bind to fibrinogen a second type of peptides configured to inhibit conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin. The anti-thrombogenic coating also includes a polymer, such as a hydrocolloid polymer, a tunable polyethylene glycol (PEG), or other controlled release polymer configured to control release of the one or more peptides and maintain a concentration of the peptides at the surface of the anti-thrombogenic coating above a minimum inhibitory concentration, thereby inhibiting thrombin formation on the intravascular medical device.

Luminal grafts and methods of making and using the same. An exemplary luminal graft of the present disclosure is configured as a generally tubular element configured for nerve cells to grow therethrough and comprises at least one sheet of biological tissue having elastin fibers and collagen fibers, with the elastin fibers being a dominant component thereof; and a plurality of microchannels formed on a surface of the at least one sheet of biological tissue, each of the microchannels extending longitudinally between a first end and a second end of the at least one sheet of biological tissue and configured to provide intraluminal structural guidance to nerve cells proliferating therethrough.

Provided are a composition for cell transplant and a method for cell transplant, both of which enable a myocardial tissue to favorably retain cardiac myocytes and/or cardiac progenitors and can improve the persistence and proliferation of transplanted cells. The composition for cell transplant of the present invention is a composition for cell transplant, containing cells and an aqueous solution containing a protein (A), the cells including a cardiac myocyte and/or a cardiac progenitor, the protein (A) having a degree of hydrophobicity of 0.2 to 1.2, the protein (A) containing a polypeptide chain (Y) and/or a polypeptide chain (Y′), the protein (A) containing 1 to 100 polypeptide chains as a total of the polypeptide chain (Y) and the polypeptide chain (Y′), the polypeptide chain (Y) being a polypeptide chain having 2 to 100 continuous amino acid sequences (X), the amino acid sequence (X) having any one of a VPGVG sequence (1) corresponding to an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, a GVGVP sequence (2) corresponding to an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, a GPP sequence, a GAP sequence, and a GAHGPAGPK sequence (3) corresponding to an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3, the polypeptide chain (Y′) being a polypeptide chain having a structure in which 0.1 to 5% amino acid residues in the polypeptide chain (Y) are replaced by a lysine residue and/or an arginine residue and including 1 to 100 residues as a total of the lysine residue and the arginine residue.

A silk fibroin nerve graft fused with NT3 and a preparation method therefor is provided. The method includes the steps of: synthesizing a gene fragment containing a silk fibroin light chain and NT-3, connecting the fragment to a pET-30 expression vector, and transferring the obtained recombinant expression vector into BL21 Escherichia coli to obtain a fusion protein; placing a silk fibroin fiber web in a mold, mixing the fusion protein and a silk fibroin solution, and performing freeze drying to enable the silk fibroin to be crosslinked with the fusion protein to form a nerve conduit; and after deformation processing, finally obtaining a silk fibroin nerve graft having NT-3 activity. The silk fibroin nerve graft can provide a mechanical support, exert nerve protection and nerve regeneration promotion functions in a long term, and adjust the proportion of NT-3 bioactive peptides in the nerve conduit, facilitating repair of nerve injuries.

The present invention provides a novel and simple method for fabricating a layer (membrane) containing arrays of microscopic needles obtained from crab shells capable of effectively treating wounds and having other medical applications; the method comprises crustacean exoskeletons treated with a base solution, an acid solution, and then medicinally active ingredients such as polysaccharide, proterin, artificial polymer, and inorganic solution.

A unit capable of promoting angiogenesis and/or nerve regeneration, including a gel component and proteoglycans, and the like that induces angiogenesis in cells and tissues transplanted into the body, and agents such as scaffolds for neural stem cells to be viable and proliferate after such transplantation.

This disclosure provides a method for improving maturation of an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) in a patient in need of hemodialysis, which method entails applying a solution to the internal wall of a lumen of an AVF; and restoring or initiating blood flow in the AVF, wherein the solution comprises an effective amount of a synthetic proteoglycan comprises a glycan having from about 1 to about 80 collagen-binding peptide(s) bonded to the glycan. Also provided are methods for preparing a vascular graft for a bypass surgery, comprising contacting the internal wall of a section of a blood vessel with a solution comprising an effective amount of the synthetic proteoglycan.

A microporous gel system for certain applications, including biomedical applications, includes an aqueous solution containing plurality of microgel particles including a biodegradable crosslinker. In some aspects, the microgel particles act as gel building blocks that anneal to one another to form a covalently-stabilized scaffold of microgel particles having interstitial spaces therein. In certain aspects, annealing of the microgel particles occurs after exposure to an annealing agent that is endogenously present or exogenously added. In some embodiments, annealing of the microgel particles requires the presence of an initiator such as exposure to light. In particular embodiments, the chemical and physical properties of the gel building blocks can be controlled to allow downstream control of the resulting assembled scaffold. In one or more embodiments, cells are able to quickly infiltrate the interstitial spaces of the assembled scaffold.

Methods and devices for the repair of articular tissue using collagen material are provided. Compositions of collagen material and related kits are also provided.