Prosthesis (i.e. – artificial body members) – parts thereof – or ai – Implantable prosthesis – Bone
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-22
2004-08-31
McDermott, Corrine (Department: 3738)
Prosthesis (i.e., artificial body members), parts thereof, or ai
Implantable prosthesis
Bone
C623S017120
Reexamination Certificate
active
06783546
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is generally related to medical prostheses or implants for augmentation, tissue expansion or replacement of soft tissue, including breast implants and vertebral disc, nucleus and annulus replacements. In particular, the present invention is related to implants filled with a keratin hydrogel.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Breast augmentation and reconstruction through medical procedures have been performed by physicians for decades. Early attempts using filler materials alone, without an enclosing envelope, had less than optimal long-term effects on appearance and health. The use of silicone gel-filled silicone envelopes gave improved long-term appearance but has created concerns for manufacturers, surgeons and patients due to possible leakage of the silicone gel from the envelopes into the body. These concerns had the effect of removing silicone gel-filled breast implants from some markets, such as the United States. Saline-filled breast implants have been used in place of the silicone-filled implants. The use of saline has led to fewer concerns, but saline-filled silicone implants have been reported as having a less natural shape and consistency.
Another issue in the field of breast reconstruction and in the healing of open wounds is the use of tissue expanders. Tissue expanders typically include a bladder or envelope that will hold a liquid such as saline. The expander is placed over a wound, or may be implanted under tissue, such as under the muscles below a surgically removed breast. During use in breast reconstruction, a small amount of saline is added to the envelope periodically until the desired size is reached. By adding liquid slowly over a period of weeks or months, the covering tissue is allowed to expand to accommodate its size. Tissue expanders may also be used to cover an open wound and serve as a platform for the growth of new skin over the wound. Unfortunately, in order to change the volume of the tissue expander a needle must be inserted into the envelope, thus requiring penetration of the tissue and causing pain and an increased possibility of infection.
What would be desirable is a safe, non-toxic, non-antigenic material for use in implants that has a consistency more like that of the original human soft tissue. A further advantage would be an implant that can be implanted using potentially minimally invasive surgical procedures. What would be desirable is a tissue expander that is able to absorb fluid from the patient after implantation so that the expander could reach the desired size without repeated intrusive procedures.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present disclosure addresses the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a safer, more natural appearing implant for augmenting or reconstructing the human breast or other tissue such as intervertebral disc, nucleus, or annulus tissue, and penile, testicular, gluteal, or facial tissue. Preferred implants include an outer envelope made of silicone or a biocompatible polymer and having an interior containing a keratin hydrogel. The hydrogel can be made from a keratinous material that is obtained from a biological source, especially keratin obtained from hair, feathers, hooves, feet, beaks, skin or nails of a mammal. The keratin is preferably obtained from hair, and more preferably from human hair. Human hair is especially desirable because of its ready availability as cuttings from barber and beauty shops, because human hair is likely to have less antigenicity in a human subject, and because hair can be harvested from the intended implant recipient. In certain embodiments implants include a hydrogel formed from hydrating a keratin material prepared as described in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/394,782, incorporated herein by reference. In certain embodiments implants include a keratin hydrogel formed using an alternative method as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,932,552 and 6,159,496, and in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/736,957 all incorporated herein by reference.
In more detail, a keratin hydrogel for use in the prosthetic devices described herein may be formed by adding an aqueous solvent such as water to a hydratable keratin material. This hydratable material can be made by a first process beginning with providing a keratinous material including keratin having disulfide bonds and partially oxidizing the keratin disulfide bonds, such that sulfonic acid residues are formed. The sulfonic acid containing keratin material can subsequently be placed in a solvent containing cations, preferably monovalent cations. In certain preferred embodiments, a solution containing the oxidized keratin material is neutralized, or raised to a pH that is less acidic than the oxidation solution. Without limiting the patent to a particular mechanism, in certain embodiments, and depending on the solvent used, the pH may be raised to a level above the pKa of the sulfonic acid groups to obtain sulfonic acid groups in an anionic state, or having a negative charge. It is contemplated that anionic sulfonic acid groups may more easily form ionic associations or even ionic bonds with the cations. When a substantial part of the liquid is removed from the keratin/cationic solution, a salt or solid salt including the keratin and cations may be isolated. This solid is hydratable, highly absorbent, and forms a hydrogel upon re-hydration. The solid may be used in fibrous or powdered form, and adding water to the solid forms a viscoelastic hydrogel suitable for use as a prosthetic implant filler.
A preferred source of keratinous material is human hair, although the keratin may be obtained from hair or fur of animals including any mammal, from finger or toenail material or from hooves, or from the beaks, feet or feathers of birds. Human hair is a preferred source of keratin because of its ready availability from cuttings of barber and beauty shops, because it is expected to be less prone to cause undesirable immune or allergic reactions in a human should any leakage occur, and because a keratin preparation may be made from the hair of a subject for whom the preparation will be used. This last advantage can be especially important in embodiments involving subdermal implantations.
It is well known in the art that keratins are highly sulfated, that is, the amino acid sequence of keratin contains a high proportion of cysteine residues as compared to proteins in general. These cysteines each include a sulfhydryl moiety that is able to bond with another sulfhydril moiety from another cysteine residue to form a disulfide bond known as a cystine residue. The second cysteine may reside within the same keratin molecule, or in another keratin molecule. These disulfide bonds are responsible for much of the tertiary and/or quaternary structure of this class of proteins. A suitable oxidizing agent is able to break this disulfide bond and to oxidize one or both of the sulfide moieties so that they are no longer able to form a disulfide. Such an oxidation is a part of the process of forming the keratin products of the present disclosure. Preferred oxidizing agents include, but are not limited to peracetic acid, hydrogen peroxide, perborates, percarbonates, benzoyl peroxide, or ammonium sulfate peroxide. However, any suitable oxidizing agent known in the art can be used in the practice of the invention. After oxidation, the liquid oxidizing agent can be filtered from the oxidized keratin solid, and the solid may be washed to remove residual oxidizing agent, for example.
The resulting solid may then be suspended in a non-aqueous solvent and the pH may be adjusted upward with base-conveniently to at least neutral pH. Preferred solvents for this second solution do not include significant water as the water may hydrolyze the peptide backbone during processing. Preferred solvents would include alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, or propanol, for example, and would also include non-aqueous solvents such as acetone and tetrahydrofuran, for example. An effective solvent should b
Hsu Ken Y.
Smith Robert A.
Yerby Scott
Zucherman James F.
Barrett Thomas C.
Keraplast Technologies Ltd.
McDermott Corrine
Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.
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