Translating Ideas into Commercial Biomaterial Devices: A Path to Improving Healthcare.

The medical device industry is undergoing substantial transformations, looking to face the increasing pressures on healthcare systems and fundamental shifts in healthcare delivery. There is an ever-growing emphasis on identifying underserved clinical requirements and enhancing industry-academia partnerships to accelerate innovative solutions. In this context, an analysis of the requirements for translation, highlighting support and funding for innovation to transform an idea for a biomaterial device into a commercially available product, is discussed.

Experimental Drainage Device to Reduce Lymphoedema in a Rat Model.

Objective: Despite recent advances in pharmacological research and microsurgery, lymphoedema remains an incurable disease that deeply affects quality of life. There is an urgent need for innovative approaches to restore continuous lymph flow in affected tissues. To this end, the efficacy of a subcutaneously implanted draining device in reducing lymphoedema volume in a rat hindlimb lymphoedema model was tested.

Transcellular Pathways in Lymphatic Endothelial Cells Regulate Changes in Solute Transport by Fluid Stress.

Rationale: The transport of interstitial fluid and solutes into lymphatic vessels is important for maintaining interstitial homeostasis and delivering antigens and soluble factors to the lymph node for immune surveillance. Transendothelial transport across lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) is commonly considered to occur paracellularly, or between cell-cell junctions, and driven by local pressure and concentration gradients. However, emerging evidence suggests that LECs also play active roles in regulating interstitial solute balance and can scavenge and store antigens, raising the possibility that vesicular or transcellular pathways may be important in lymphatic solute transport.

An in vitro model of the tumor-lymphatic microenvironment with simultaneous transendothelial and luminal flows reveals mechanisms of flow enhanced invasion.

The most common cancers, including breast and skin, disseminate initially through the lymphatic system, yet the mechanisms by which tumor cells home towards, enter and interact with the lymphatic endothelium remain poorly understood. Transmural and luminal flows are important biophysical cues of the lymphatic microenvironment that can affect adhesion molecules, growth factors and chemokine expression as well as matrix remodeling, among others. Although microfluidic models are suitable for in vitro reconstruction of highly complex biological systems, the difficult assembly and operation of these systems often only allows a limited throughput.

Mechanical characterization of porcine corneas.

An experimental program has been carried out in order to investigate the mechanical behavior of porcine corneas. We report the results of inflation tests on the whole cornea and uniaxial tests on excised corneal strips, performed on 51 fresh porcine eyes. Uniaxial tests have been performed on specimens cut from previously inflated corneas.