Provided herein are scaffolds and methods useful to promote the formation of functional clusters on a tissue, for example, motor endplates (MEPs) or a component thereof on skeletal muscle cells or tissue, as well as the use of scaffolds so produced for repairing a tissue injury or defect.

The present invention refers to a model for in-vitro simulation of the behaviour of dysfunctional human vessels, such as for example vessels affected by aneurysm, stenosis or sclerosis plaques, as an instrument for testing medical devices and drugs with the aim of verifying effectiveness and safety thereof prior to use thereof on humans. Specifically, the present invention refers to an in vitro model of a substantially tubular-shaped vascular structure having dysfunctional anatomical and physiological characteristics simulating the same vascular structure of a healthy subject whose vascular structure has been damaged or deformed or deteriorated due to a damage selected from among the group comprising or, alternatively, consisting of aneurysm, stenosis, sclerosis plaques, forms of tumours or cardiomyopathies having the characteristics as claimed in the attached claims. Furthermore, the present invention also refers to a reliable and reproducible industrialisation process for eliminating air bubbles for producing an engineered vascular tissue for the in vitro test of medicinal products for human use and veterinarian products for animal use.

A combination comprising, spatially separate from one another, a first component and a second component, where the first component comprises crosslinkable albumin and the second component comprises a polymer, wherein non-terminal monomer units of the polymer comprise at least partially, more particularly only partially, an albumin-crosslinking group. Additionally disclosed is a reaction product obtainable by means of the combination, to a medical device, to a medicinal product for innovative therapies, to a kit, to a discharge apparatus, and to a functionalized hyaluronic acid.

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 prosthetic venous valve having a conical shaped base valve member and a biomaterial delivery construct. The base valve member includes a plurality of fluid flow modulating means that open and allow antegrade blood to be transmitted out of the valve member when the valve member receives antegrade blood therein, and close and prevent retrograde blood from flowing into the valve member. The biomaterial delivery construct is adapted to receive and position the base valve member therein, and be disposed proximate a luminal wall of a venous vessel.

Prosthetic heart valves having a conical shaped base valve structure formed from collagenous mammalian tissue. The base valve structure includes a plurality of elongated ribbon members that are positioned proximate each other in a joined relationship, wherein the elongated ribbon members are positioned adjacent each other and form a plurality of fluid flow modulating regions that open when fluid into and through the base valve structure exhibits a positive pressure relative to the exterior pressure, i.e., a positive pressure differential, wherein the fluid is allowed to be transmitted out of the base valve structure, and transition to a closed configuration when the pressure differential between the interior valve pressure and exterior pressure reduces, wherein the fluid is restricted from flowing out of the base valve structure.

A collagen-based or gelatin-based formulation that is compliant yet strong and has a high suture-strength value is disclosed. This material is simple to synthesize, behaves like a rubbery material, and is the first type of solely collagen-based compliant material without using elastin. The formulation maintains the strength of collagen, but can be stretched to several times its initial dimension and can be sutured without leaking. The suture retention strength can reach up to 350-grams force. The presently disclosed collagen-based formulation can be used in variety of applications where high strength, compliance, or stretchability is required, such as in urinary tissues, intestinal tissues, heart tissues, and skin.

A conical shaped venous valve structure formed from collagenous mammalian tissue. The valve structure includes a plurality of fluid flow modulating means that open and allow antegrade blood to be transmitted out of the valve structure and, into and through an associated cardiovascular vessel, when the valve structure is disposed in the cardiovascular vessel and the antegrade blood exhibits a positive pressure relative to the exterior pressure, whereby a negative hydrostatic pressure gradient is generated or present proximate the flow modulating means and/or a first positive pressure differential between first internal valvular pressure and first external valvular pressure is generated proximate the flow modulating regions, and close and prevent retrograde blood from flowing into the valve structure and, thereby, cardiovascular vessel, when a positive hydrostatic pressure gradient is generated or present proximate the flow modulating means and/or the first positive pressure differential transitions to a second pressure differential between second internal valvular pressure and second external valvular pressure, the second pressure differential being lower than the first positive pressure differential.

Prosthetic valves that include conical shaped base valve members having an annular engagement end, a closed distal end region that restricts fluid flow therethrough, and a plurality of elongated ribbon members, which transition from an open fluid flow configuration to a closed fluid flow configuration in response to expansion and contraction of the base valve member, and a support structure that is configured and adapted to exert retaining forces on the annular engagement ends of the base valve members, whereby the support structure (i) conforms to the shape of the annular engagement ends of the base valve members, (ii) securely positions the annular engagement ends of the base valve members adjacent to and, thereby, in contact with a valve annulus, whereby the annular engagement ends of the base valve members conform to the shape of the valve annulus, and (iii) the annular engagement ends of the base valve members adapt to at least one fluctuation in the configuration and/or dimension of the valve annulus, whereby the annular engagement ends of the base valve members maintain contact therewith.

A prosthetic valve comprising a conical shaped sheet structure and a support structure, the sheet structure having a closed distal end and a plurality of elongated ribbon members that are positioned proximate each other in a joined relationship, whereby the ribbon members form a plurality of fluid flow modulating regions that close when fluid flow through the valve exhibits a negative flow pressure and open when fluid flow through the valve exhibits a positive flow pressure, the support structure having at least one elongated cardiovascular structure engagement member that is associated with one of the ribbon members and adapted to engage a cardiovascular structure.