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Polyganics has received €1.2M to complete the development of its dura sealant patch, which will be used to reduce the complications of brain surgery.
Polyganics, based in the Groningen Medtech Hub, develops bioresorbable medical devices that aid tissue repair and regeneration. Today, the company has announced that it has received €1.2M from the European Fund for Regional Development and the city of Groningen. It will support the clinical testing of its dura sealant patch, which prevents cerebrospinal fluid leakage, one of the most common complications of brain surgery. On the back of recent animal studies, Polyganics is finalizing plans for a clinical trial set to begin in early 2018.
Polyganics’ device uses the company’s own bioresorbable polymers to create a dressing that reseals the outer membrane, or ‘dura’, surrounding the brain following surgery. Cerebrospinal fluid leakage is estimated to occur after 10-15% of brain surgery procedures despite a sealant being used for approximately 25-50% of all procedures. Improved resealing of the dura could help to avoid complications including meningitis and impaired wound healing.
The dura sealant patch encourages tissue regeneration and degrades naturally and safely in the body over time. There is also room for modification, with Polyganics able to add drugs that could be delivered directly to the surgical area. This could be done to reduce bleeding or supply inflammatory modulators to boost wound healing and patient recovery.
With the majority of biotechs focusing on the brain developing cancer treatments and neurodegenerative diseases, it is nice to see that Polyganics is focusing on something a little different. Its decision makes sense too when you consider that the medical devices market is predicted to be worth almost $400B (€340B).
Elsewhere in the field, exciting technology is being developed to help the body recover from surgery. Surgebright has developed an alternative approach to help repair broken bones, while Gecko Biomedical received a CE mark for Setalum, its biocompatible surgical glue for vascular reconstruction surgery.
With brain surgery patients already challenged with recovering from the initial procedure, the last thing they need is to deal with additional complications. Polyganics’ technology might be able to protect patients from this, giving them the best possible chance of making a speedy recovery.
Images – M.Stasy / shutterstock.com; Polyganics