Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Whole live micro-organism – cell – or virus containing – Animal or plant cell
Reexamination Certificate
1998-01-20
2004-05-04
Naff, David M. (Department: 1651)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Whole live micro-organism, cell, or virus containing
Animal or plant cell
C424S426000, C435S178000, C435S182000, C435S395000, C435S396000, C435S397000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06730298
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is generally in the area of creating new tissues using polysaccharide hydrogel-cell compositions.
Craniofacial contour deformities, whether traumatic, congenital, or aesthetic, currently require invasive surgical techniques for correction. Furthermore, deformities requiring augmentation often necessitate the use of alloplastic prostheses which suffer from problems of infection and extrusion. A minimally invasive method of delivering additional autogenous cartilage or bone to the craniofacial skeleton would minimize surgical trauma and eliminate the need for alloplastic prostheses. If one could transplant via injection and cause to engraft large numbers of isolated cells, one could augment the craniofacial osteo-cartilaginous skeleton with autogenous tissue, but without extensive surgery.
Unfortunately, attempts to inject dissociated cells subcutaneously or to implant dissociated tissues within areas of the body such as the peritoneum have not been successful. Cells are relatively quickly removed, presumably by phagocytosis and cell death. Cells can be implanted onto a polymeric matrix and implanted to form a cartilaginous structure, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,041,138 to vacanti, et al., but this requires surgical implantation of the matrix and shaping of the matrix prior to implantation to form a desired anatomical structure.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and compositions for injection of cells to form cellular tissues and cartilaginous structures.
It is a further object of the invention to provide compositions to form cellular tissues and cartilaginous structures including non-cellular material which will degrade and be removed to leave tissue or cartilage that is histologically and chemically the same as naturally produced tissue or cartilage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Slowly polymerizing, biocompatible, biodegradable hydrogels have been demonstrated to be useful as a means of delivering large numbers of isolated cells into a patient to create an organ equivalent or tissue such as cartilage. The gels promote engraftment and provide three dimensional templates for new cell growth. The resulting tissue is similar in composition and histology to naturally occurring tissue. In one embodiment, cells are suspended in a hydrogel solution and injected directly into a site in a patient, where the hydrogel hardens into a matrix having cells dispersed therein. In a second embodiment, cells are suspended in a hydrogel solution which is poured or injected into a mold having a desired anatomical shape, then hardened to form a matrix having cells dispersed therein which can be be implanted into a patient. Ultimately, the hydrogel degrades, leaving only the resulting tissue.
This method can be used for a variety of reconstructive procedures, including custom molding of cell implants to reconstruct three dimensional tissue defects, as well as implantation of tissues generally.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Techniques of tissue engineering employing biocompatible polymer scaffolds hold promise as a means of creating alternatives to prosthetic materials currently used in craniomaxillofacial surgery, as well as formation of organ equivalents to replaced diseased, defective, or injured tissues. However, polymers used to create these scaffolds, such as polylactic acid, polyorthoesters, and polyanhydrides, are difficult to mold and hydrophobic, resulting in poor cell attachment. Moreover, all manipulations of the polymers must be performed prior to implantation of the polymeric material.
Calcium alginate and certain other polymers can form ionic hydrogels which are malleable and can be used to encapsulate cells. In the preferred embodiment described herein, the hydrogel is produced by cross-linking the anionic salt of alginic acid, a carbohydrate polymer isolated from seaweed, with calcium cations, whose strength increases with either increasing concentrations of calcium ions or alginate. The alginate solution is mixed with the cells to be implanted to form an alginate suspension. Then, in one embodiment, the suspension is injected directly into a patient prior to hardening of the suspension. The suspension then hardens over a short period of time. In a second embodiment, the suspension is injected or poured into a mold, where it hardens to form a desired anatomical shape having cells dispersed therein.
Polymeric Materials.
The polymeric material which is mixed with cells for implantation into the body should form a hydrogel. A hydrogel is defined as a substance formed when an organic polymer (natural or synthetic) is cross-linked via covalent, ionic, or hydrogen bonds to create a three-dimensional open-lattice structure which entraps water molecules to form a gel. Examples of materials which can be used to form a hydrogel include polysaccharides such as alginate, polyphosphazines, and polyacrylates, which are crosslinked tonically, or block copolymers such as Pluronics™ or Tetronics™, polyethylene oxide-polypropylene glycol block copolymers which are crosslinked by temperature or pH, respectively.
In general, these polymers are at least partially soluble in aqueous solutions, such as water, buffered salt solutions, or aqueous alcohol solutions, that have charged side groups, or a monovalent ionic salt thereof. Examples of polymers with acidic side groups that can be reacted with cations are poly(phosphazenes), poly(acrylic acids), poly(methacrylic acids), copolymers of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid, poly(vinyl acetate), and sulfonated polymers, such as sulfonated polystyrene. Copolymers having acidic side groups formed by reaction of acrylic or methacrylic acid and vinyl ether monomers or polymers can also be used. Examples of acidic groups are carboxylic acid groups, sulfonic acid groups, halogenated (preferably fluorinated) alcohol groups, phenolic OH groups, and acidic OH groups.
Examples of polymers with basic side groups that can be reacted with anions are poly(vinyl amines), poly(vinyl pyridine), poly(vinyl imidazole), and some imino substituted polyphosphazenes. The ammonium or quaternary salt of the polymers can also be formed from the backbone nitrogens or pendant imino groups. Examples of basic side groups are amino and imino groups.
Alginate can be ionically cross-linked with divalent cations, in water, at room temperature, to form a hydrogel matrix. Due to these mild conditions, alginate has been the most commonly used polymer for hybridoma cell encapsulation, as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,352,883 to Lim. In the Lim process, an aqueous solution containing the biological materials to be encapsulated is suspended in a solution of a water soluble polymer, the suspension is formed into droplets which are configured into discrete microcapsules by contact with multivalent cations, then the surface of the microcapsules is crosslinked with polyamino acids to form a semipermeable membrane around the encapsulated materials.
Polyphosphazenes are polymers with backbones consisting of nitrogen and phosphorous separated by alternating single and double bonds. Each phosphorous atom is covalently bonded to two side chains (“R”). The repeat unit in polyphosphazenes has the general structure (1):
where n is an integer.
The polyphosphazenes suitable for cross-linking have a majority of side chain groups which are acidic and capable of forming salt bridges with di- or trivalent cations. Examples of preferred acidic side groups are carboxylic acid groups and sulfonic acid groups. Hydrolytically stable polyphosphazenes are formed of monomers having carboxylic acid side groups that are crosslinked by divalent or trivalent cations such as Ca
2+
or Al
3+
. Polymers can be synthesized that degrade by hydrolysis by incorporating monomers having imidazole, amino acid ester, or glycerol side groups. For example, a polyanionic poly[bis(carboxylatophenoxy)]phosphazene (PCPP) can be synthesized, which is cross-linked with dissolved multivalent cations in aqueous media a
Atala Anthony
Griffith-Cima Linda
Paige Keith T.
Vacanti Charles A.
Choate Hall & Stewart
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Naff David M.
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