An implant can include a plurality of polymeric fibers associated together into a fibrous body. The fibrous body is capable of being shaped to fit a tracheal defect and capable of being secured in place by suture or by bioadhesive. The fibrous body can have aligned fibers (e.g., circumferentially aligned) or unaligned fibers. The fibrous body can be electrospun. The fibrous body can have a first characteristic in a first gradient distribution across at least a portion of the fibrous body. The fibrous body can include one or more structural reinforcing members, such as ribbon structural reinforcing members, which can be embedded in the plurality of fibers. The fibrous body can include one or more structural reinforcing members bonded to the fibers with liquid polymer as an adhesive, the liquid polymer having a substantially similar composition of the fibers.

Medical constructs with collagen fibers and gelatin and related collagen fibers. The collagen fibers can be derived from extruded soluble dermal collagen and can include a gelatin film attached to the at least one collagen fiber. The gelatin film can include one or more minerals and has a gelatin concentration of between about 0.1% to about 40% weight per volume.

The present description relates to the discovery of materials, devices, systems and methods for microfabrication of engineered tissue scaffolds for the growth and culture of biological tissues for tissue repair, transplantation, disease treatment, regenerative medicine, drug testing or combinations thereof. The engineered tissue scaffolds mimic native conditions and structures, including, e.g., native physiology, tissue architecture, vasculature, and other properties of native tissues.

The present description relates to the discovery of materials, devices, systems and methods for microfabrication of engineered tissue scaffolds for the growth and culture of biological tissues for tissue repair, transplantation, disease treatment, regenerative medicine, drug testing or combinations thereof. The engineered tissue scaffolds mimic native conditions and structures, including, e.g., native physiology, tissue architecture, vasculature, and other properties of native tissues.

Examples herein include prosthetic valves, valve leaflets and related methods. In an example, a prosthetic valve is included having a plurality of leaflets. The leaflets can each have a root portion and an edge portion substantially opposite the root portion and movable relative to the root portion. The leaflets can include a fibrous matrix including polymeric fibers having an average diameter of about 10 nanometers to about 10 micrometers. A coating can surround the polymeric fibers within the fibrous matrix. The coating can have a thickness of about 3 to about 30 nanometers. The coating can be formed of a material selected from the group consisting of a metal oxide, a nitride, a carbide, a sulfide, or fluoride. In an example, a method of making a valve is included. Other examples are also included herein.

This invention relates to shape memory block copolymers comprising: at least one switching segment having a T.sub.trans from 10 to 70° C.; and at least one soft segment, wherein at least one of the switching segments in linked to at least one of the soft segments by at least one linkage, and wherein the copolymer transforms from a first shape to a second shape by application of a first stimulus and the copolymer transforms back to the first shape from the second shape by application of a second stimulus. The shape memory block copolymers may be biocompatible and biodegradable.

This invention relates to shape memory block copolymers comprising: at least one switching segment having a T.sub.trans from 10 to 70° C.; and at least one soft segment, wherein at least one of the switching segments in linked to at least one of the soft segments by at least one linkage, and wherein the copolymer transforms from a first shape to a second shape by application of a first stimulus and the copolymer transforms back to the first shape from the second shape by application of a second stimulus. The shape memory block copolymers may be biocompatible and biodegradable.

A medical implant is provided that has a first and a second electrospun component with the same type of biodegradable electrospun polymers. In one example, the second electrospun component is separately manufactured from the first electrospun component. Furthermore, the implant is structured such that the first electrospun component and the second electrospun component are assembled or joint together by the same type biodegradable electrospun polymers as in the first electrospun component and the second electrospun component. The assembled implant is a porous, biodegradable medical implant capable of being replaced by naturally ingrown tissue over time upon implantation. Advantages are the avoidance of sutures and the problems associated with the use of sutures, capability of ETR, avoidance of the need for extra materials, allowance for more precise and reproducible assembled structures for which the process could be automated.

The present invention refers to compositions comprising recombinant biopolymers made of combinations of monomers of the type “Elastin-like recombinamers” (ELR), monomers comprising the “silk” sequence and/or monomers comprising the HLF sequence that belongs to a natural class of proteins named zippers. Said compositions are useful as bio-ink for 3D printing. Furthermore, the present invention also refers to methods for obtaining the composition of the invention, as well as the 3D biomaterial and to the different uses of the composition and the obtained biomaterial.

The present invention refers to compositions comprising recombinant biopolymers made of combinations of monomers of the type “Elastin-like recombinamers” (ELR), monomers comprising the “silk” sequence and/or monomers comprising the HLF sequence that belongs to a natural class of proteins named zippers. Said compositions are useful as bio-ink for 3D printing. Furthermore, the present invention also refers to methods for obtaining the composition of the invention, as well as the 3D biomaterial and to the different uses of the composition and the obtained biomaterial.