The invention relates to a cross-linkable polymer including a base polymer including functional groups at least some of which have been reacted with a first organic molecule including a cross-linkable unit and with a second organic molecule capable of bonding to organic and/or inorganic substrates. The invention further relates to a hydrogel including the cross-linkable polymer that includes cross-linkable polymer strands, wherein at least some of the cross-linkable units of different cross-linkable polymer strands have reacted to form a covalent bond thereby forming a covalently linked network. The invention further relates to a method for the preparation of the hydrogel and to the use of the hydrogel.

Methods of forming cross-linked polysaccharides are disclosed in which one or more polysaccharides are dissolved in solution, gelled, modified to have a desired concentration, and subsequently irradiated. The irradiation of the gel crosslinks the polysaccharide(s) present. The disclosed techniques may be applied to various polysaccharides, including but not limited to agarose and/or hyaluronic acid.

The present application provides compositions comprising hyaluronic acid having low levels of functional group modification, mixtures formed by controlled reaction of such lightly modified hyaluronic acid with suitable difunctional or multi-functional crosslinkers, and hydrogel precursor compositions and the resulting hydrogels. The compositions are lightly cross-linked and possess low pro-inflammatory properties when injected in vivo, and can be used as, for example, medical devices, biomedical adhesives and sealants, and for localized delivery of bioactive agents, among other uses.

A porous, resorbable and flexible dental surgical membrane (16) is made from chitosan having a viscosity average molecular weight of about 400,000 daltons up to about 2,000,000 daltons and has a thickness of from about 100 microns to about 0.5 mm. The membrane is easily insertable over a bone graft material site to confine the bone graft material (14) while allowing access to the bone graft material of blood and oxygen and applied medicaments through the membrane. The high molecular weight of the chitosan may be chosen so that the membrane will not dissolve or resorb in a human mouth for a protracted period, e.g., from about 12 to about 16 weeks. The membrane is made by dissolving medical grade chitosan in aqueous acetic acid, dispersing fine silica particles into the solution to form a slurry, depositing a film of the slurry on a support surface, evaporating liquid from the slurry sufficiently to form a coherent chitosan membrane having silica particles dispersed therein, and then dissolving the silica particles with a sodium hydroxide solution followed by a water wash to form the porous chitosan membrane.

Hydrogels that degrade under appropriate conditions of pH and temperature by virtue of crosslinking compounds that cleave through an elimination reaction are described. The hydrogels may be used for delivery of various agents, such as pharmaceuticals.

The present invention relates to methods of providing biocompatible/biodegradable hydrogels obtained by crosslinking of biopolymers (for example polysaccharides or proteins) in the semi-solid (modelling-clay like) state at water content below 70% by weight. The resulting materials can be applied in medicine, pharmacy and/or in cosmetics.

The invention provides compositions featuring chitosan and polyethylene glycol and methods for using such compositions for the local delivery of biologically active agents to an open fracture, complex wound or other site of infection. Advantageously, the chitosan-PEG compositions can be loaded with one or more antimicrobial agents, including hydrophobic agents, and can be tailored to the needs of particular patients at the point of care (e.g., in a surgical suite, clinic, physician's office, or other clinical setting).

Biofunctional films and methods of use thereof for the prevention of post-operative adhesions are disclosed.

Provided are a crosslinked hyaluronic acid product in the form of powder and a method of preparing the same, and a crosslinked hyaluronic acid hydrogel prepared using the crosslinked hyaluronic acid product in the form of powder, and a method of preparing the same. The crosslinked hyaluronic acid hydrogel according to the present disclosure exhibits excellent rheological properties, and mass production thereof is easy and quality uniformity thereof is excellent.

Provided is a biopolymer composite film that includes a polysaccharide matrix reinforced with soft dendritic colloids and methods for making. The method can include dissolving agarose in water to form a first mixture, mixing nanofibrillated chitosan in the agarose, sonicating or stirring the mixture to form a homogeneous second mixture, casting the second mixture, and gelling the second mixture to form a film. Also provided is a food or consumer product packaging film that includes the biopolymer composite film.