Patents Examined by David M. Naff
  • Patent number: 9078958
    Abstract: A copolymer comprising a block of an elastin pentapeptide and method of making and using the copolymer are provided. The copolymer may be used as a coating on a stent. Methods of using a stent coated with the copolymer are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignee: Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Syed F. A. Hossainy, Yiwen Tang, Lothar W. Kleiner
  • Patent number: 8999687
    Abstract: The composite material is comprised of a substrate of discrete particles and a network of interconnected mycelia cells bonding the discrete particles together. The mycelia cells are selected from the group consisting of at least one of Agrocybe brasiliensi, Flammulina velutipes, Hypholomoa capnoides, Hypholoma sublaterium, Morchella angusticeps, Macrolepiota procera and Coprinus comatus. The fungus digests the nutrient material over a period of time sufficient to grow hyphae and to allow the hyphae to form a network of interconnected mycelia cells through and around the discrete particles thereby bonding the discrete particles together to form a self-supporting composite material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
    Inventors: Eben Bayer, Gavin McIntyre, Burt L. Swersey
  • Patent number: 8986713
    Abstract: The present invention relates to immobilized biologically active entities that retain significant biological activity following mechanical manipulation of a substrate material to which the entities are immobilized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert L. Cleek, Michael D. Daly, Krzysztof R. Pietrzak
  • Patent number: 8975073
    Abstract: A microfluidic device includes, in one embodiment, a first silk film coupled to a second silk film with at least one microchannel therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignees: The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc., Trustees of Tufts College
    Inventors: Jeffrey T. Borenstein, Chris Bettinger, David Kaplan
  • Patent number: 8962302
    Abstract: A biological tissue processing substrate for fixing proteins in a biological tissue or degradation products of the proteins, the substrate comprising: a porous body that forms a contact surface with the biological tissue, the porous body holding in pores an enzyme for obtaining the proteins or the degradation products of the proteins from the biological tissue, wherein the proteins or the degradation products obtained by the action of the enzyme are brought into contact with a member consisting of a metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Ban, Miki Ogawa, Norihiko Utsunomiya, Hiroyuki Hashimoto, Manabu Komatsu, Yohei Murayama
  • Patent number: 8951793
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods of isolating and using a population of FOXP3+ regulatory T cells in a variety of preventative and therapeutic approaches to autoimmune diseases, graft-versus-host disease and transplant rejection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: The United States of America, as represented by The Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services
    Inventors: Dat Tran, Ethan M. Shevach
  • Patent number: 8895046
    Abstract: Adult autologous stem cells cultured on a porous, three-dimensional tissue scaffold-implant for bone regeneration by the use of a hyaluronan and/or dexamethasone to accelerate bone healing alone or in combination with recombinant growth factors or transfected osteogenic genes. The scaffold-implant may be machined into a custom-shaped three-dimensional cell culture system for support of cell growth, reservoir for peptides, recombinant growth factors, cytokines and antineoplastic drugs in the presence of a hyaluronan and/or dexamethasone alone or in combination with growth factors or transfected osteogenic genes, to be assembled ex vivo in a tissue incubator for implantation into bone tissue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Zimmer, Inc.
    Inventors: Zou Xuenong, Haisheng Li, Cody Bunger
  • Patent number: 8871499
    Abstract: A multi-well plate can be loaded with a range of compliant substrates. Commerically-available assays can be used to test cellular responses across a plate with shear modulus from 50 to 51200 Pascals. Cells can be grown in the plates, and can be manipulated and analyzed. Hydrogels can be attached to the bottom of a well. The plates can support the attachment and growth of different cell types and can be compatible with standard 96-well and 384-well plate assays. The mechanical properties of the hydrogels can be reproducible and stable to increase the shelf life of the substrate. The hydrogel can be compatible with growth of a variety of cell types, various attachment ligands such as collagen I, collagen IV, fibronectin, vitronectin, laminin, or RGD peptides and can be coupled to the gel surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: President and Fellows of Harvard College
    Inventors: Daniel Tschumperlin, Fei Liu, Justin Mih
  • Patent number: 8858981
    Abstract: A bone healing combination material includes a matrix carrying cultivated bone-forming cells which may be osteocytes, osteoblasts, stromal stem cells or stem cells committed to differentiation into bone-forming osteoblasts. The matrix is a purified collagen matrix material derived from natural collagen-containing animal tissue, a collagen-free porous bone mineral matrix material derived from natural bone having a crystal structure substantially that of natural bone and being substantially free from endogenous organic material, or a combination of purified collagen matrix material and porous bone mineral matrix material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Ed. Geistlich Soehne Fuer Chemistrie Industrie
    Inventor: Peter Geistlich
  • Patent number: 8852881
    Abstract: A device for characterizing the biological properties of cells can include a plurality of dual-compartment assay chambers wherein the compartments of each chamber are separated by a cell layer across which ions can flow. The biological properties of the cell layer in the presence or absence of experimental compounds can be determined by measuring an electrical gradient across the layer. A individual dual-compartment chamber of this type may be referred to as an “Ussing chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul A. Negulescu, Alec T. Harootunian, Philip E. Salzmann, Javier H. Flores, James E. Sinclair, Minh Vuong, Ashvani K. Singh, Fred F. VanGoor
  • Patent number: 8846361
    Abstract: The present invention relates to solid enzyme, in particular phytase, compositions stabilized with a lactic acid source such as Corn Steep Liquor (CSL), and methods of producing the same. Preferred compositions additionally comprise starch and disaccharides such as lactose or trehalose.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Novozymes A/S
    Inventors: Lotte Rugholm Henriksen, Erik Marcussen
  • Patent number: 8835143
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the preparation of hybrid cross-linked enzyme-silica aggregates including the steps of taking up enzyme molecules in a solvent, precipitating the enzyme molecules using a precipitation agent, and adding an alkoxysilane and crosslinking the mixture of alkoxysilane and precipitated enzyme aggregates, using a crosslinking agent comprising an aldehyde, to obtain hybrid crosslinked enzyme-silica aggregates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Clea Technologies BV
    Inventors: Willem Robert Klaas Schoevaart, Lukas Michael Van Langen, Ronald Tako Marinus van Den Dool, Johannes Wilhelmus Leonardus Boumans
  • Patent number: 8835144
    Abstract: Dual-functional nonfouling surfaces and materials, methods for making dual-functional nonfouling surfaces and materials, and devices that include dual-functional nonfouling surfaces and materials. The dual-functional surfaces are nonfouling surfaces that resist non-specific protein adsorption and cell adhesion. The dual-functional surfaces and materials include covalently coupled biomolecules (e.g., target binding partners) that impart specific biological activity thereto. The surfaces and materials are useful in medical diagnostics, biomaterials and bioprocessing, tissue engineering, and drug delivery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: University of Washington
    Inventors: Shaoyi Jiang, Zheng Zhang, Shengfu Chen, Hana Vaisocherova
  • Patent number: 8815584
    Abstract: The invention provides a method of co-culturing mammalian muscle cells and mammalian motoneurons. The method comprises preparing one or more carriers coated with a covalently bonded monolayer of trimethoxysilylpropyl diethylenetriamine (DETA); suspending isolated fetal mammalian skeletal muscle cells in serum-free medium according to medium composition 1; suspending isolated fetal mammalian spinal motoneurons in serum-free medium according to medium composition 1; plating the suspended muscle cells onto the one or more carriers at a predetermined density and allowing the muscle cells to attach; plating the suspended motoneurons at a predetermined density onto the one or more carriers and allowing the motoneurons to attach; covering the one or more carriers with a mixture of medium composition 1 and medium composition 2; and incubating the carriers covered in the media mixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: University of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: James J. Hickman, Mainak Das
  • Patent number: 8785117
    Abstract: A bioartificial liver system is described that incorporates a cell reservoir and hepatocyte spheroids to both increase the number of and longevity of cells in the system. Additional methods are also described for forming spheroid aggregates from isolated hepatocytes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
    Inventor: Scott L Nyberg
  • Patent number: 8778380
    Abstract: An apparatus for fabricating a 3D scaffold includes: a plotter generating a microfiber structure; an electrospinning unit installed to be adjacent to the plotter along a first direction and spinning nanofiber in an internal space or on a surface of the microfiber structure to form a nanofiber web; a collection table reciprocating a lower portion of the plotter and that of the electrospinning unit along the first direction to allow the microfiber structure to be stacked thereon by the plotter and allow the nanofiber web to be formed thereon by the electrospinning unit; and a first guide rail allowing the collection table to be mounted thereon and guiding the collection table mounted thereon to reciprocate along the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Intellectual Discovery Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Wan-Doo Kim, Jun Hee Lee, Su-A Park
  • Patent number: 8778333
    Abstract: The present invention relates to injectable compositions comprising biocompatible, hydrophilic, non-toxic and substantially spherical microspheres associated with stem cells useful for tissue construction and generation. The invention also relates to methods of tissue construction and generation, for the treatment of various tissue damage and defects, using the injectable compositions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Biosphere Medical, Inc.
    Inventors: Jean-Marie Vogel, Egisto Boschetti
  • Patent number: 8778376
    Abstract: A copolymer comprising a block of an elastin pentapeptide and method of making and using the copolymer are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Advanced Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Syed F. A. Hossainy, Mikael Trollsas, Thierry Glauser, Yiwen Tang
  • Patent number: 8771720
    Abstract: Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) from which pyrogen has been removed are provided. PHAs which have been chemically modified to enhance physical and/or chemical properties, for targeting or to modify biodegradability or clearance by the reticuloendothelial system (RES), are described. Methods for depyrogenating PHA polymers prepared by bacterial fermentation processes are also provided, wherein pyrogens are removed from the polymers without adversely impacting the polymers' inherent chemical structures and physical properties. PHAs with advantageous processing characteristics, including low melting points and/or solubility in non-toxic solvents, are also described. The PHAs are suitable for use in in vivo applications such as in tissue coatings, stents, sutures, tubing, bone, other prostheses, bone or tissue cements, tissue regeneration devices, wound dressings, drug delivery, and for diagnostic and prophylactic uses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Metabolix, Inc.
    Inventors: Simon F. Williams, David P. Martin, Tillman Gerngross, Daniel M. Horowitz
  • Patent number: 8765464
    Abstract: The present invention provide: a novel process for culturing animal cells and a kit for culturing animal cells, in which, even if the number of cells as sampled for biopsy is extremely small, the proliferation can sufficiently be maintained so as to enable to carry out various culture and/or tests, especially anticancer agent sensitivity tests, and the contamination with bacteria can be inhibited without damaging physiological activity of cells, especially sensitivity to anticancer agents. The process for culturing animal cells, according to the present invention, comprises the step of culturing a sample containing animal cells obtained from living body tissue in order to subject the sample to further culture and/or a test, with the process being characterized in that a culture medium is used wherein the culture medium has a proliferating action and physiological activity-retaining action on the animal cells, and further has a killing action and/or multiplication-inhibition action on bacteria.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Kurashiki Boseki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Minamigawa, Hisayuki Kobayashi, Toshikazu Takano