Surgical sutures incorporated with stem cells or other bioactive materials

• US 8,876,864 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2009
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bioactive Surgical, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bioactive Surgical, Inc.
• Inventors: Spedden, Richard H., Pingel, Laura J., Schon, Lew C.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHI, KATHERINE MENGLIN
• Application Number:
  US12/489,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20090318962A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,960 Days
• Field of Search: 606/222, 606/224, 606228-231, 206/63.3, 206/572, 424422-426, 424/443, 623 142- 158, 264/103
• US Class Current: 606/228
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/06114 Packages or dispensers for needles or sutures packages for sharps A61B50/3001; for dental floss A61C15/043; packages for needles in general B65D85/24
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/06166 Sutures suture materials A61L17/00; manufacture of artificial threads D01D; treatment of threads D06M
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00884 enhancing wound closure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00893 pharmaceutically effective
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/06185 hollow or tubular hollow suture needles A61B2017/061
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 17/005 containing a biologically active substance, e.g. a medicament or a biocide
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 17/06 At least partially resorbable materials
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2300/404 Biocides, antimicrobial agents, antiseptic agents
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2300/414 Growth factors
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2300/42 Anti-thrombotic agents, anticoagulants, anti-platelet agents
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2300/45 Mixtures of two or more drugs, e.g. synergistic mixtures
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2300/604 Biodegradation
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2300/64 Animal cells
• CPC Class Codes: D06B 1/10 by contact with a member carrying the treating material

Abstract

Materials and methods for immobilizing bioactive molecules, stem and other precursor cells, and other agents of therapeutic value in surgical sutures and other tissue scaffold devices are described herein. Broadly drawn to the integration and incorporation of bioactive materials into suture constructs, tissue scaffolds and medical devices, the present invention has particular utility in the development of novel systems that enable medical personnel performing surgical and other medical procedures to utilize and subsequently reintroduce bioactive materials extracted from a patient (or their allogenic equivalents) to a wound or target surgical site.

Claims

1. A surgical suture comprising:

(a) a porous core comprising a multifilament or a matrix of braided or woven filaments comprising a plurality of interstices disposed between the filaments; and

(b) a sheath which is exterior to the porous core and comprises one or more concentric layers;

wherein a concentration of biological cells are retained in the plurality of interstices; and

wherein the sheath controls the migration of the biological cells from the plurality of interstices to an exterior of the sheath.

2. The surgical suture of claim 1, wherein the sheath comprises a porous, braided, or woven structure.

3. The surgical suture of claim 1, wherein the biological cells are retained in the plurality of interstices by ionic binding, covalent binding, adsorption, absorption, entrapment, entanglement, or entrainment, or combinations thereof.

4. The surgical suture of claim 1, wherein the sheath further comprises a biodegradable component that impedes or forestalls an exodus of the biological cells until the surgical suture is placed in a target biological environment.

5. The surgical suture of claim 1, wherein the porous core comprises a viscous liquid, foam, gel, or emulsion containing the biological cells that is bound, absorbed, adsorbed or immobilized by the multifilament or matrix of braided or woven filaments.

6. The surgical suture of claim 1, wherein the sheath comprises a porous, braided, woven, non-woven, or film-type construct in combination with an emulsion, suspension, liquid, or gel.

7. The surgical suture of claim 6, wherein the emulsion, suspension, liquid, or gel exhibits hydrophobic properties.

8. The surgical suture of claim 1, wherein the surgical suture further comprises a bearing section and a contiguous leader section, and wherein the bearing section comprises a length of a suture material comprising a therapeutically effective level of biological cells.

9. The surgical suture of claim 8, wherein the leader section is visibly differentiable from the bearing section by a change in color, texture, or shape.

10. The surgical suture of claim 1, wherein the biological cells are selected from the group consisting of stem cells, progenitor cells, and precursor cells.

11. The surgical suture of claim 1, wherein the porous core comprises a material that is biodegradable.