Disclosed herein are hydrogels that can be loaded with myogenic agents, for instance muscle stem cells (MuSCs)/satellite cells, pro-myogenic factors, and combinations thereof. The hydrogels can be contacted with damaged muscle tissue, thereby facilitating muscle growth and repair. Further provided are methods of repairing muscle tissue in a patient in need thereof, said methods comprising contacting the muscle tissue with a composition comprising the hydrogel. Also provided herein are kits comprising the hydrogel composition and a substrate comprising at least one microneedle.

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.

The present disclosure relates to a method for preparing a restructured hydrogel, including forming a hydrogel containing a first polymer, unidirectionally shrinking and dehydrating the hydrogel, and additionally cross-linking and rehydrating the dehydrated hydrogel.

The invention is directed to methods and compositions for obtaining uniform sized muscle fiber fragments for transplantation. These muscle fiber fragments are able to reconstitute into long fibers that are oriented along native muscle. The implanted muscle cells integrate with native vascular and neural network, as confirmed by histology and immunohistochemistry. This invention is particularly advantageous because autologous muscle can be harvested from a donor site, processed and injected into target sites in the operating room. The fragmented muscle fibers can be readily integrated within the host.

In general, the present invention is related to biopolymer and biocomposite materials and structures, and methods of making and using the same. In some embodiments, the present invention is directed to oriented collagen based biocomposite materials and structures, and methods of making.

A tendon repair implant for treatment of a partial thickness tear in the supraspinatus tendon of the shoulder is provided. The implant may incorporate features of rapid deployment and fixation by an arthroscopic means approach that compliment current procedures; tensile properties that result in desired sharing of anatomical load between the implant and native tendon during rehabilitation; selected porosity and longitudinal pathways for tissue in-growth; sufficient cyclic straining of the implant in the longitudinal direction to promote remodeling of new tissue to tendon-like tissue; and, may include a bioresorbable construction to provide transfer of additional load to new tendon-like tissue and native tendon over time.

The present invention provides a surgical implant material for assisted repair of muscle mechanics and a method of preparing the same. The surgical implant material for assisted repair of muscle mechanics comprises a collagen compound within a net-like bacterial cellulose base material. A bacterial cellulose base material is placed into solution of collagen, treated via vortex shaking, dried at room temperature; and then immersed in an aqueous solution of an aldehyde compound under vacuum to react for 10 to 30 minutes, thereby producing the surgical implant material for assisted repair of muscle mechanics. The surgical implant material of the present invention can effectively improve the biocompability, and maintain the flexibility, smoothness and fitness of the base material to reduce the damage to surrounding tissues, thereby reducing the bleeding and inflammatory response. Meanwhile, the processing conditions of the preparation method is more reasonable and convenient to control, and more suitable for industrial scale-up.

Methods are disclosed for forming tissue engineered, tubular gut-sphincter complexes from intestinal circular smooth muscle cells, sphincteric smooth muscle cells and enteric neural progenitor cells. The intestinal smooth muscle cells and neural progenitor cells can be seeded on a mold with a surface texture that induces longitudinal alignment of the intestinal smooth muscle cells and co-cultured until an innervated aligned smooth muscle sheet is obtained. The innervated smooth muscle sheet can then be wrapped around a tubular scaffold to form an intestinal tissue construct. Additionally, the sphincteric smooth muscle cells and additional enteric neural progenitor cells can be mixed in a biocompatiable gel solution, and the gel and admixed cells applied to a mold having a central post such that the sphinteric smooth muscle and neural progenitor cells can be cultured to form an innervated sphincter construct around the mold post. This innervated sphincter construct can also be transferred to the tubular scaffold such that the intestinal tissue construct and sphincter construct contact each other, and the resulting combined sphincter and intestinal tissue constructs can be further cultured about the scaffold until a unified tubular gut-sphincter complex is obtained.

Disclosed are electrospun scaffolds and methods of making electrospun fibers and electrospun fiber scaffolds. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to electrospun fibrous scaffolds of decellularized muscle tissue and methods of making fibers and fiber scaffolds by electrospinning.

The present invention is directed to a composition comprising a matrix suitable for implantation in humans, comprising defatted, shredded, allogeneic human muscle tissue that has been combined with an aqueous carrier and dried in a predetermined shape. Also disclosed is a tissue graft or implant comprising a matrix suitable for implantation in humans, comprising defatted, shredded, allogeneic human muscle tissue that has been combined with an aqueous carrier and dried in a predetermined shape. The composition and/or tissue graft or implant of the invention is usable in combination with seeded cells, a tissue growth factor, and/or a chemotactic gent to attract a desired cell.