NEW HIGH-STRENGTH HYDROGEL MATERIALS

SYNTHETIC HYDROGELS ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO SERVE IN MANY THERAPEUTIC AND PROSTHETIC APPLICATIONS. ONE POTENTIAL WAY OF INCREASING THEIR STRENGTH, BUT WITHOUT SERIOUSLY REDUCINGTHEIR WATER UPTAKE, IS TO FORM THE GEL NETWORK FROM TWO POLYMER SPECIES. ONE POLYMER COMPONENT WOULD BE CHOSEN TO GIVE GOOD WATER UPTAKE PROPERTIES, WHILE THE OTHER WOULD BE CHOSEN TO PROVIDE GOOD MECHANICAL STRENGTH. IN PHASE I, A NEW FAMILY OF HYDROGELS THAT INCORPORATE TWO POLYMERS IN THE GEL NETWORK WILL BE PREPARED AND CHARACTERIZED. PRELIMINARY STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT STRONG, TRANSPARENT GELS WITH HIGH WATER CONTENT CAN BE PRODUCED USING THIS APPROACH. A FURTHER ADVANTAGE OF THE TECHNIQUE IS THAT IT DOES NOT REQUIRE THE REMOVAL OF ORGANIC SOLVENTS DURING THE PREPARATION. BOTH OF THE POLYMER COMPONENTS HAVEA GOOD HISTORY OF BIOCOMPATIBILITY. WHILE MANY OF THE PREPARATIVE DETAILS HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED FOR THE MATERIALS, MECHANICAL EVALUATIONS REMAIN TO BE DONE. IN PHASE I, BREWER SCIENCE, INC., WILL MEASURE THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF THE NEW MATERIALS AND COMPARE THEM TO CONVENTIONAL HYDROGELS. HOW GEL COMPOSITION AFFECTS CLARITY, STRENGTH, AND WATER-UPTAKE PROPERTIES WILL ALSO BE ESTABLISHED.