Gecko Biomedical, a French medical device company developing innovative polymers in the form of sealants and adhesives for wound closure, announced today that the company’s Head of Research Maria Pereira, and its founders have published data demonstrating the potential of its adhesive platform as a solution for atraumatic tissue defect repair in a paper featured as the cover of Science Translational Medicine journal.
In a paper entitled “A light-reflecting balloon catheter for atraumatic tissue defect repair”, published in the September 23, 2015 issue of Science Translational Medicine (online), the authors, including Gecko Biomedical’s Head of Research, and one its cofounders Jeffrey Karp Ph.D. (Brigham and Women’s Hospital), describe the use of a biodegradable, hydrophobic light-activated adhesives as an attractive alternative to sutures and their compatibility with a newly specifically designed minimally invasive delivery tool for the repair of congenital or iatrogenic tissue defects.
Gecko’s adhesives are non-toxic, bind strongly to tissues, offer a leak-proof seal on demand, and work well in the presence of actively contracting tissues and blood flow.
To achieve an efficient defect closure through minimally invasive approaches, the authors designed a new surgical device that consists in a set of balloons, a flexible mirror and a fiber-optic cable that can deploy and activate the adhesive in situ. Using this device, the authors demonstrated how the adhesives can be effectively used to repair internal heart, abdominal and intestinal defects.
To access the paper in Science Translational Medicine, please click here.
“This new study opens a set of opportunities for minimally invasive surgery demonstrating the potential of our adhesive polymer platform to change surgical practice. We are excited to see the engagement of the scientific and medical communities around our platform. ” said Maria N. Pereira, Ph.D., co-author of the study and now Head of Research at Gecko Biomedical.
Christophe Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Gecko Biomedical, added: “We are thrilled to see how the technology platform we are developing at Gecko Biomedical can be combined with innovative delivery systems to further advance minimally invasive techniques for the benefit of patients.”
