A molding is formed by laminating an aggregate of SiC and a paste containing Si and C powders on an epitaxial layer of SiC formed on a support substrate of SiC to form an intermediate sintered body in which polycrystalline SiC is produced from the Si and C powders by reaction sintering, free Si is carbonized to SiC to form a sintered body layer, and the support substrate is removed from the epitaxial layer to form a semiconductor substrate in which the epitaxial layer and the sintered body layer are laminated.

The invention provides integrated Organ-on-Chip microphysiological systems representations of living Organs and support structures for such microphysiological systems.

The present disclosure provides compositions and methods for treating Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) including primary and recurrent CDI. In particular, the compositions and methods described herein are capable of achieving a CDI clearance rate of at least 80% through a single oral dose of a pharmaceutical composition comprising a freeze-dried fecal microbiota preparation.

In a method of ventilating excised lungs, a ventilation gas is supplied to an airway of a lung and a vacuum is formed around the lung. A quality of the vacuum is varied between a lower level and a higher level to cause the lung to breathe, while the pressure of the ventilation gas supplied to the airway is regulated to maintain a positive airway pressure in the airway of the lung. The vacuum may be cyclically varied between the two vacuum levels. The levels may be maintained substantially constant over a period of time, or one or both of the lower and higher levels may be adjusted during ventilation. The lung may be placed in a sealed chamber, and a vacuum is formed in the chamber around the lung.

The disclosure provides, in various embodiments, systems, devices and methods relating to ex-vivo organ care. In certain embodiments, the disclosure relates to maintaining an organ ex-vivo at near-physiologic conditions. The present application describes, for example, a method for using lactate measurement in the arterial and the venous blood lines of the Organ Care System Heart perfusion device to evaluate, for example, the: 1) overall perfusion status of an isolated heart; 2) metabolic status of an isolated heart; and 3) overall vascular patency of an isolated donor heart. This aspect of the present disclosure may use, for example, the property of myocardial cell's unique ability to produce/generate lactate when they are starved for oxygen and metabolize/utilize lactate for energy production when they are well perfused with oxygen.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device is provided, including: forming a first conductive type lightly doped region in the epitaxial layer; forming a first conductive type heavily doped region and a second conductive type heavily doped region in the epitaxial layer on the first conductive type lightly doped region, in which the neighboring first conductive type heavily doped regions are spaced apart by the second conductive type heavily doped region; disposing the mask on the second conductive type heavily doped region; disposing a spacer on a sidewall of the mask; doping a first conductive type dopant in the first conductive type lightly doped region to form an anti-breakdown region; removing the mask and forming a trench extending into the second conductive type heavily doped region, first conductive type lightly doped region and the epitaxial layer; and removing the spacer.

The disclosure provides, in various embodiments, systems, devices and methods relating to ex-vivo organ care. In certain embodiments, the disclosure relates to maintaining an organ ex-vivo at near physiologic conditions. In certain embodiments, the disclosure relates to placing an ex-vivo heart in a chamber of a portable organ care system; providing, via a pump, a pulsatile flow of a perfusion fluid to the ex-vivo heart; measuring, with a sensor, one or more physiologic characteristics of the ex-vivo heart while the ex-vivo heart is beating; and operating the pump in response to the one or more physiologic characteristics.

Solutions and suspensions comprising polymerized hemoglobin derived from human blood are disclosed. The solutions and suspensions may comprise cell culture medium, an enzyme (such as a protease), and/or a buffer. Processes of preparing the solutions and suspensions are also disclosed. The solutions and suspensions may be employed in methods of isolating mammalian cells, such as pancreatic islets, methods of preserving mammalian tissue and organs, methods of aiding the recovery of mammalian cells following their isolation, methods of maintaining mammalian cells, methods of propagating mammalian cells, and methods of treating a mammal with diabetes.

Apparatus and methods for providing extracorporeal blood circulation and oxygenation control include multi-stage de-airing of blood to provide automated cardiopulmonary replacement to preserve the viability or one or more organs in a clinically dead organ donor or harvested donor organ for subsequent transplantation to an organ receiver patient.

The present invention provides a method for freezing a stem cell or a cell derived therefrom, the method including the steps of providing a cell suspension, performing ice nucleation on the cell suspension, and lowering the temperature of the ice nucleated cell suspension to a temperature sufficiently low to allow long term storage of the stem cell. The method is preferably used for the cryopreservation of human embryonic stem cells.