Gecko Biomedical, a French medical device company developing ‘bio-inspired’ biodegradable surgical glues and patches for wound closure, announces that it has received the prestigious “RadTech’s Emerging Technology Award” at RadTech 2014, RadTech’s annual technology conference RadTech is the Association for Ultra-Violet (UV) and Electron Beam (EB) Technology.
Gecko Biomedical is developing a platform of biocompatible, biodegradable adhesive solutions specifically designed for minimally invasive procedures.
Its platform leverages advances in cross-functional fields ranging from biomimicry, biocompatible polymers and tissue regeneration to UV light activation.
Gecko Biomedical’s adhesives are based on the combination of safe, naturally occurring compounds to form a biocompatible pre-polymer with tunable adhesive and mechanical properties. The adhesive is soft and elastic when applied to the wet surfaces of the wounds where it adheres gently to the tissues, permitting fine adjustments or repositioning. The adhesive is activated (polymerized) upon exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light to form a strong, leak-proof but flexible seal, giving the surgeon full control of the process.
Thanks to its UV light-activated feature, the adhesive adheres very fast and strongly to the underlying tissues at the control of the surgeon, allowing surgicals procedures in dynamic and complex environment such as closing defects on arteries or fixation outside or inside a beating heart.
Maria Pereira, Head of Adhesive technologies, who received the RadTech’s Emerging Technology Award on behalf of Gecko Biomedical commented: ”We are honored to receive recognition from the prestigious RadTech community. The development of this technology was possible due to the efforts of a highly multidisciplinary team that worked closely together to develop solutions for major clinical needs in the field of internal wound closure.”
Christophe Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Gecko Biomedical, added: “Gecko’s adhesive platform brings together state of the art advances in polymer technology and in situ activation. We aim to develop reliable solutions that can provide strong benefits to patients: On demand activation in complex surgical environments represents a complete paradigm shift for the clinical application of adhesives and we are proud to be advancing the first approach to achieve this.”
