Embodiments herein described provide devices for identifying and collecting rare cells or cells which occur at low frequency in the body of a subject, such as, antigen-specific cells or disease-specific cells. More specifically, the devices are useful for trapping immune cells and the devices contain a physiologically-compatible porous polymer scaffold, a plurality of antigens, and an immune cell-recruiting agent, wherein the plurality of antigens and the immune cell recruiting agent attract and trap the immune cell in the device. Also provided are pharmaceutical compositions, kits, and packages containing such devices. Additional embodiments relate to methods for making the devices, compositions, and kits/packages. Further embodiments relate to methods for using the devices, compositions, and/or kits in the diagnosis or therapy of diseases such as autoimmune diseases or cancers.

The present invention includes a hydrogel and a method of making a porous hydrogel by preparing an aqueous mixture of an uncrosslinked polymer and a crystallizable molecule; casting the mixture into a vessel; allowing the cast mixture to dry to form an amorphous hydrogel film; seeding the cast mixture with a seed crystal of the crystallizable molecule; growing the crystallizable molecule into a crystal structure within the uncrosslinked polymer; crosslinking the polymer around the crystal structure under conditions in which the crystal structure within the crosslinked polymer is maintained; and dissolving the crystals within the crosslinked polymer to form the porous hydrogel.

The present invention includes a hydrogel and a method of making a porous hydrogel by preparing an aqueous mixture of an uncrosslinked polymer and a crystallizable molecule; casting the mixture into a vessel; allowing the cast mixture to dry to form an amorphous hydrogel film; seeding the cast mixture with a seed crystal of the crystallizable molecule; growing the crystallizable molecule into a crystal structure within the uncrosslinked polymer; crosslinking the polymer around the crystal structure under conditions in which the crystal structure within the crosslinked polymer is maintained; and dissolving the crystals within the crosslinked polymer to form the porous hydrogel.

A polymeric composite coating includes a drug release retardant polymer matrix, and pH-responsive nanoparticulate pore former. The pH-responsive pore formers function to modulate the permeability of the coating in response to pH changes which can compensate any changes in drug solubility with negligible leaching of the pore formers. The pH-responsive nanoparticulate pore formers may also function as alcohol-resistant component to the overall composite coating to resist increased solubility and permeability in presence of alcohol at 40% ethanol concentration in aqueous media. In one embodiment, the drug release retardant polymer is made of cellulose derivatives.

A polymeric composite coating includes a drug release retardant polymer matrix, and pH-responsive nanoparticulate pore former. The pH-responsive pore formers function to modulate the permeability of the coating in response to pH changes which can compensate any changes in drug solubility with negligible leaching of the pore formers. The pH-responsive nanoparticulate pore formers may also function as alcohol-resistant component to the overall composite coating to resist increased solubility and permeability in presence of alcohol at 40% ethanol concentration in aqueous media. In one embodiment, the drug release retardant polymer is made of cellulose derivatives.

Novel absorbable foams, lyophilizing solutions, and lyophilizing and annealing processes are disclosed. The foams are made from copolymers of glycolide and epsilon-caprolactone. The foams are useful in or as implantable medical devices.

Novel absorbable foams, lyophilizing solutions, and lyophilizing and annealing processes are disclosed. The foams are made from copolymers of glycolide and epsilon-caprolactone. The foams are useful in or as implantable medical devices.

A polyimide film suitable for use in the fabrication of a graphite layer includes a polyimide derived from reaction of diamine monomers with dianhydride monomers, and a foaming agent incorporated in the polyimide. Moreover, a process of fabricating a graphite film includes providing a polyamic acid solution formed by reaction of diamine monomers with dianhydride monomers, incorporating a foaming agent into the polyamic acid solution, forming a polyimide film from the polyamic acid solution, applying a first thermal treatment so that the polyimide film is carbonized to form a carbon film, and applying a second thermal treatment so that the carbon film is converted to a graphite film.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing a nerve conduit containing cells, more particularly to a method for preparing a porous nerve conduit containing cells, having micropores formed in microchannels, wherein the nerve conduit containing cells prepared according to the present invention can be usefully used in in-vitro and in-vivo researches on nerves.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing a nerve conduit containing cells, more particularly to a method for preparing a porous nerve conduit containing cells, having micropores formed in microchannels, wherein the nerve conduit containing cells prepared according to the present invention can be usefully used in in-vitro and in-vivo researches on nerves.