Modified Polymer Surfaces
Brookwood scientists have a wealth of knowledge and experience designing and developing products with biocompatible, biodegradable polymers for a wide variety of medical applications. In addition to drug delivery, our scientists develop products using biodegradable polymers for resorbable scaffolds. These scaffolds have peptides, proteins, or other biological macromolecules attached to their surface. The scaffold can be made into the shape of microparticles, rods, fibers, meshes and many other three-dimensional shapes. As an example, a protein can be chemically attached to the surface of microparticles made from a polymer from the class of lactide/glycolide polymers. These polymers have an excellent safety record and are presently used in several medical devices and long-acting, drug-delivery products. Once prepared, the microparticle-based scaffold is placed in an appropriate region of the body, essentially holding the protein in place. Due to the activity of the surface-attached protein, the scaffold can, for example, induce cell growth or effect biological activity near, around or on the scaffold. At preprogrammed times, the lactide/glycolide polymer resorbs leaving behind only the biological structure induced by the scaffold. Brookwood carries out for its clients product-development programs involving modified polymer surfaces. These studies include feasibility studies, product-development optimization and manufacturing of clinical materials and commercial product.
Resorbable micro-scaffolds with protein chemically attached to surface.