Adhesive and Coating Technology

Kensey Nash Adhesive and Coating Technology was inspired by marine mussels and the remarkable substance they secrete to bond to underwater surfaces. Our scientists create synthetic mimetics of these proteins and use them to build adhesive polymers that can be tailored to fit a broad variety of indications. It is envisioned that the products could be delivered in situ as a hydrogel, liquid, or spray, or they can be pre-coated onto an adjunctive medical device. The innovation and subsequent applications are thoroughly patent-protected.
Our innovations were recognized with a title article in the July 2007 issue of Nature and they were labeled "one of the top 100 scientific developments of 2007" by Discover Magazine." Our collaborators have won numerous awards for research using marine mussel adhesive technologies.

Liquid & Thin Film Adhesives

Indications & Partnership Opportunities

Kensey Nash offers adhesives that may be applicable across a broad variety of medical indications; as standalone products or as adjuncts to other medical devices.  We engage corporate partners to develop products that meet the medical needs of many different surgical procedures.
The flexibility of our chemistry enables us to tailor performance characteristics of the material specifically for each application.  Examples of potential clinical applications include gluing tissue surfaces together, affixing medical device to a tissue surface, sealing anastomotic and suture-line leaks, and other medical solutions. 

Chemistry

Our polymer structures utilize a well-characterized, biocompatible backbone such as polyethylene glycol (PEG), connected to adhesive endgroups that exploit a variety of chemical linkages to tissue or implant surfaces.  The polymers are assembled via crosslinking, yielding strong cohesive and adhesive strength.  By changing the underlying materials and the crosslinking structure, Kensey Nash can “tune” the functional characteristics of the adhesive. The diagram below illustrates a crosslinked hydrogel attaching a medical device to a tissue surface using a variety of chemical linkages.

Delivery System

Products are typically delivered as a hydrogel in situ or pre-coated onto an adjunctive medical device.  The delivery system can also be tailored to the application for ease of surgical use and optimal distribution of the adhesive in gel, liquid, or spray form.

Technical Performance

Kensey Nash polymers are “tuned” to meet our partners’ requirements.  We can vary:
•  Set (cure) time
•  Degradation time
•  Swelling volume
•  Elasticity
•  Other characteristics
All of these can be changed without significantly impacting our superior burst, peel, and shear strength.

Protective Coatings

Bacterial infections complicate the outcome of millions of medical procedures each year.  Catheters, orthopedic implants, and other devices can become the locus of infection when pathogenic bacteria form biofilms.  Kensey Nash is developing anti-fouling coatings to prevent bacteria from attaching to surfaces, thereby disrupting the formation of biofilms and their harmful consequences.

Technology

Kensey Nash couples a biocompatible surface anchoring group to an anti-fouling polymer, such as polyethylene glycol (PEG), to passively inhibit bacteria from adhering to the medical device.  Because bacteria cannot colonize on the device surface, they cannot create biofilms.

Benefits of Anti-Fouling Coatings

Many medical device coatings attempt to reduce bacterial infection by releasing active biocides.  These biocides may not protect against new bacterial strains, and may actually promote the evolution of resistant strains.  Moreover, the biocides can prove toxic to surrounding tissues.
Kensey Nash is designing anti-fouling coatings aimed at preventing bacterial attachment and colonization on a device surface by any bacterial strains.  Importantly, anti-fouling coatings may also reach the market with lower regulatory costs because they do not contain active biocides.

Performance

In preliminary testing, the Kensey Nash anti-fouling coatings have reduced bacterial attachment by more than 99% over untreated titanium surfaces.