Unmet NeedTherapeutic gas delivery remains one of the greatest challenges in tissue engineering. Consequently many technologies and approaches have been developed but all lack
effective ways to deliver sufficient therapeutic gas, such as oxygen, to targeted regions within deeper tissue. This invention introduces a means of delivering therapeutic gases in a controlled and sustained manner involving the hyperbaric loading of gas into microtanks and the subsequent controlled release of the gas from these biodegradable micro-scale vessels. Additional advantages include:
1. Allows up to one month of gas supply
2. Hyperbaric loading drastically increases gas content
3. The gas carriers can be incorporated anywhere, including structural scaffolds
4. Microtank technology can applied to any type of gas, allowing for gas mixes to be used
5. Gas delivery to deeper tissue
Technical Details
Johns Hopkins researchers have developed a platform technology that can accomplish sustained release of gas in a location specific manner for tissue engineering. The technology is called microtanks and involves the hyperbaric loading of gas into micro-scale pressure vessels made of biodegradable materials. The gas permeability of these tanks can be adjusted such that the ultimate release rate of the gas can be controlled. Microtanks do not release dangerous chemical products, can accept any type of gas and can release continually over a time frame of weeks.
Stage of Development
Prototype
