A method for promoting growth of bone, periodontium, ligament, or cartilage in a mammal by applying to the bone, periodontium, ligament, or cartilage a composition comprising platelet-derived growth factor at a concentration in the range of about 0.1 mg/mL to about 1.0 mg/mL in a pharmaceutically acceptable liquid carrier and a pharmaceutically-acceptable solid carrier.

Disclosed is a method of producing reconstructed human skin, and particularly a method of producing reconstructed human skin using a culture vessel including an inner chamber surrounded by an inner wall and a porous bottom surface and an outer chamber spaced apart from the inner chamber and configured to surround the inner chamber, including forming an adhesive layer by coating the inner wall with an adhesive material and culturing reconstructed human skin in the culture vessel having the adhesive layer formed thereon.

A method for coating a solid surface with a recombinant spider silk protein capable of forming polymeric, solid structures is provided. The method is comprising the following steps: exposing the solid surface to an aqueous solution of the recombinant spider silk protein and thereby forming a surface layer of the recombinant spider silk protein adsorbed on the solid surface without formation of covalent bonds between the recombinant spider silk protein and the solid surface; and further exposing the surface layer of the solid surface to an aqueous solution of the recombinant spider silk protein and thereby forming an assembled silk structure layer of the recombinant spider silk protein on the surface layer; wherein the method does not include drying-in of spider silk protein.

Compositions or an assembly of a series of biomimetic compounds include chemical structures that mimic or structurally resemble a nucleic acid base pair. Complexes of nanotubes and agents are useful to deliver agents into the cells or bodily tissues of individuals for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. Exemplary compounds include those of Formula (I), (III), (V) or (VII), or of Formula (II), (IV), (VI) or (VIII). ##STR00001##

A method of treating a lesion in a gastrointestinal tract and an injectate system are provided. The method includes injecting a crosslinkable gel into a first tissue layer, the crosslinkable gel increasing a volume of the first tissue layer. The method also includes providing a crosslinker and resecting a portion of a first tissue layer having the increased volume away from a second tissue layer creating an exposed region in a remaining portion of the first layer and leaving a portion of the gel covering at least a portion of the exposed region. The injectate system includes a crosslinkable gel and a crosslinker where the crosslinkable gel and the crosslinker form a crosslinked gel having a compressive modulus of about 10-500 kPa.

The invention concerns a bone graft material for use in a spinal fusion method, wherein the material comprises i) a composition for forming a matrix, comprising at least a first matrix material precursor component and a second matrix material precursor component, capable of forming a matrix by crosslinking of the precursor components under appropriate conditions; and ii) a bioactive factor, which is biologically active to stimulate bone formation between two vertebrae, and for effecting or supporting spinal fusion; wherein the spinal fusion method comprises the steps of applying a cage in between the two vertebrae, which is not pre-filled with the bone graft material; and subsequently applying the bone graft material adjacent to and/or into the cage, such that essentially the entire remaining volume between the two vertebrae is filled with the bone graft material. The invention allows for ease of use while forming a more homogeneous matrix.

A three-dimensional hydrogel scaffold of the present invention contains a cell to be transplanted in vivo and comprises a first hydrogel block on which a plurality of holes are formed and one or more second hydrogel blocks which are assembled to the holes and are biodegradable. A large hydrogel scaffold can be prepared by means of the assembly of the blocks. The survivability of the cell being transplanted is high and the biodegradability of the blocks varies, and thus the risk of hypoxia is reduced.

A tissue engineering material for nerve injury repair, a preparation method therefor and an application thereof. The tissue engineering material for nerve injury repair is an N-cadherin crosslinked linear ordered collagen scaffold. By crosslinking N-cadherin with a linear ordered collagen scaffold, the prepared tissue engineering material can efficiently induce migration of neural stem cells towards an injury region so that the neural stem cells are enriched in the injury region, and can effectively inhibit deposition of inhibitory factors such as chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan, promote differentiation of the neural stem cells into neurons, and then promote recovery of electrophysiological and motion functions. The N-cadherin crosslinked linear ordered collagen scaffold also has a stable ordered topological structure and excellent mechanical properties, and can be used to repair nerve injuries such as spinal cord injury.

Disclosed herein is a composite material and a skin test platform material in a form of a membrane, comprising silk fibroin and a crosslinking agent, wherein from 4.7 to 14 wt % of the total dry weight of the material is derived from the crosslinking agent. In one embodiment, the crosslinking agent is polyethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether. The membrane has a surface that may be shaped to mimic human skin structures. Also disclosed herein are methods of forming a composite material, a skin test platform material, and determining a property of a test composition such as an anti-bacterial cleansing composition, a skin care product and a perfume.

The present invention concerns a polyelectrolyte coating comprising at least one polycationic layer consisting of at least one polycation consisting of n repetitive units having the formula (1) and at least one polyanionic layer consisting of hyaluronic acid. The polyelectrolyte coating has a biocidal activity and the invention thus further refers to the use of said polyelectrolyte coating for producing a device, in particular a bacteriostatic medical device, more particularly an implantable device, comprising said polyelectrolyte coating, and a method for preparing said device and a kit.