Badylak ECM

McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine deputy director Stephen Badylak, DVM, PhD, MD, professor of surgery at the University of Pittsburgh, is an inventor of 71 U.S. patents and over 300 patents worldwide. In August 2020, Dr. Badylak received two new patents relative to his work with extracellular matrix (ECM).  They are:

Non-Gelling Soluble Extracellular Matrix with Biological Activity, U.S. Patent No. 10736991 (issued on August 11, 2020)

Soluble forms of ECM, which form a hydrogel at body temperature, are increasingly used in anatomic locations that do not permit the use of an ECM scaffold. Similar to ECM scaffolds, ECM hydrogels have biological effects that include immune modulation and recruitment of stem cells, among others. However, all therapeutics applications do not require a hydrogel, and a non-gelling soluble form of ECM may be preferred in many instances. This patent describes methods of preparation and the biologic effects of a non-gelling soluble form of ECM.

Extracellular Matrix-Derived Gels and Related Methods, U.S. Patent No. 10729813 (issued on August 4, 2020)

This application was originally filed in 2012 and has since branched into a family of U.S. and international patents. This patent describes an acidic solution comprised of an acid protease and solubilized, non-dialyzed, non-crosslinked ECM (from a tissue selected from the group consisting of heart, pancreas, liver, ovary, spleen, and urinary bladder removed of submucosa) that, when neutralized, forms a gel at a temperature greater than 25oC.

These latest two patents join Dr. Badylak’s other most recently received patents:

  • Extracellular Matrix Mesh Coating, U.S. Patent No. 10286119 (issued on May 14, 2019)
  • Methods for Preparation of a Terminally Sterilized Hydrogel Derived from Extracellular Matrix, U.S. Patent No. 10213526 (issued on February 26, 2019)
  • Biohybrid Composite Scaffold, U.S. Patent No. 10092676 (issued on October 9, 2018)

Dr. Badylak was inducted into the National Academy of Inventors as a Fellow in 2018.

Congratulations, Dr. Badylak!

Illustration:  Image of solubilized dermal ECM, manufactured under cGMP conditions, that is easily injectable and forms a gel state at body temperature.  The Badylak Laboratory.