The present invention relates to the field of medical instruments. Specifically, a biodegradable cross-linked polymer and a manufacturing method therefor are provided. The cross-linked polymer is obtained by bonding crosslinkable reactive groups to terminal groups of a biodegradable prepolymer having two or more arms and further subjecting the prepolymer to thermal polymerization and/or light irradiation. The cross-linked polymer has an elastic modulus of 10-4,500 MPa, and a degradation rate of 3-36 months. A biodegradable vascular stent and a preparation method therefor are also provided. The vascular stent is formed by laser cutting of polymeric tubing having a three-dimensional cross-linked network structure. The vascular stent has ample mechanical strength, a high elastic modulus at body temperature, and a regulatable degradation rate.

Provided herein are in vivo gelling ophthalmic pre-formulations forming a biocompatible retinal patch comprising at least one nucleophilic compound or monomer unit, at least one electrophilic compound or monomer unit, and optionally a therapeutic agent and/or viscosity enhancer. In some embodiments, the retinal patch at least partially adheres to the site of a retinal tear. Also provided herein are methods of treating retinal detachment by delivering an in vivo gelling ophthalmic pre-formulation to the site of a retinal tear in human eye, wherein the in vivo gelling ophthalmic pre-formulation forms a retinal patch.

A nanofibrous spongy microsphere includes porous walls that define an exterior of the microsphere and that extend through an interior of the microsphere. The porous walls consist of interconnected nanofibers and spaces formed between the interconnected nanofibers. A plurality of micro-scale pores are formed throughout the interior of the microsphere. Each of the micro-scale pores i) is partially defined by the porous walls, ii) has an interpore opening that opens to an adjacent micro-scale pores, and iii) has a diameter ranging from about 1 m to about 100 m. A total diameter of the microsphere ranges from about 5 m to about 1000 m.

Provided is a water-absorbing resin capable of having a high swollen gel elastic modulus while maintaining a high swelling capacity and a method for producing the same.

The problem described above is solved by a water-absorbing resin including a water soluble unsaturated monomer having a dissociable group as a main component of a repeating unit of a main chain, wherein the water-absorbing resin has an internal crosslinked structure, a crosslinked structure index expressed by the following numerical formula 1 is 14 or more, a weight average molecular weight (Mw) of the water-absorbing resin after a hydrolysis treatment is 220,000 or less, and a molecular weight distribution (Mw/Mn) of the water-absorbing resin after a hydrolysis treatment is 3.40 or less:

Crosslinked structure index=(Equilibrium swelling capacity with respect to 0.9 wt % physiological saline solution).sup.1/3/(Weight average molecular weight (Mw) after hydrolysis treatment)1000000[Numerical formula 1]

where the hydrolysis treatment is a treatment to leave 50 mg of the water-absorbing resin as a solids content to stand still in 10 g of a 0.1 mol/l aqueous sodium hydroxide solution for 3 weeks at 80 C., and the weight average molecular weight (Mw) is a value measured after the treatment.

In addition, the water-absorbing resin is produced, for example, by a production method including a reaction step for reacting a first star-shaped polymer containing the water soluble unsaturated monomer as a main component of a repeating unit of each branched chain and having a first reactive functional group at a terminal of each branched chain with a second star-shaped polymer containing the water soluble unsaturated monomer as a main component of a repeating unit of each branched chain and having a second reactive functional group capable of forming a chemical bond with the first reactive functional group by reacting with each other at a terminal of each branched chain.

Provided herein are in vivo gelling ophthalmic pre-formulations forming a biocompatible retinal patch comprising at least one nucleophilic compound or monomer unit, at least one electrophilic compound or monomer unit, and optionally a therapeutic agent and/or viscosity enhancer. In some embodiments, the retinal patch at least partially adheres to the site of a retinal tear. Also provided herein are methods of treating retinal detachment by delivering an in vivo gelling ophthalmic pre-formulation to the site of a retinal tear in human eye, wherein the in vivo gelling ophthalmic pre-formulation forms a retinal patch.

The present invention relates to multi-arm salt-tolerant star macromolecules, and methods of preparing and using the same. In one aspect of the invention, a salt-tolerant star macromolecule is capable of providing salt-tolerance to an aqueous composition.

The invention encompasses hydrogels, monomer precursors of the hydrogels, methods for the preparation thereof, and methods of use therefor. The linking of monomers can take place using non-radical, bioorthogonal reactions such as copper-free click-chemistry.

Oil soluble rheology modifying star macromolecules having a core and five or more polymeric arms, and compositions comprising the same. The polymeric arms on a star are covalently attached to the core of the star; each polymeric arm comprises one or more (co)polymer segments; and each polymeric arm comprises a monomeric unit of a methyl methacrylate. The oil soluble rheology modifying star macromolecules and compositions comprising the same for use in oil based systems.

Oil soluble rheology modifying star macromolecules having a core and five or more polymeric arms, and compositions comprising the same. The polymeric arms on a star are covalently attached to the core of the star; each polymeric arm comprises one or more (co)polymer segments; and at least one polymeric arm and/or at least one polymeric segment exhibits a different solubility from at least one other polymeric arm or one other polymeric segment, respectively, in a reference liquid of interest. The oil soluble rheology modifying star macromolecules and compositions comprising the same for use in oil based systems.

The present invention relates to polymerizable mixtures and to the use thereof for optical, electro-optical and electronic purposes, in particular in liquid-crystal (LC) media and LC displays, especially in LC displays of the PS (polymer sustained) or PSA (polymer sustained alignment) type.