September 20, 2010 - BioSurfaces, Inc. was recently awarded a one year, Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (1R43DK084591-01A1).  This Phase I grant, with a total award amount of $111,079, is focused on developing a first of its kind artificial hemodialysis access graft using our proprietary technology that would significantly reduce infection, clotting and unregulated cellular growth (BioAccess).

Current gold standards for hemodialysis access, radial cephalic vein fistulas and autogenous saphenous veins, have significant problems associated with their use.  Many patients do not have a healthy vein to spare due to disease progression or prior/future use for a different surgical procedure (i.e. for a distal or coronary bypass).  These surgical procedures also require greater time than a prosthetic graft implant due to vein harvesting.  Synthetic grafts comprised of ePTFE or polyurethane (PU), used as a substitute for veins, require a longer time to heal (6 weeks to 6 months for fistulas) hence failing to treat increasing number of patients with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) who need instant access.  Additionally, these grafts have poor primary patency rates, with only 20% patent after 2 years.  Thus, there is a need to develop an off-the shelf prosthetic graft that would give comparable or higher patency to autologous grafts or fistulas, have infection and thrombus-resistance and most importantly, provide instant access.

The principal investigator in charge of this program is Mr. Saif G. Pathan, Senior Research Associate at BioSurfaces, Inc. For questions or inquiries, please contact Mr. Pathan at: spathan_biosurfaces@verizon.net.

April 8, 2010 – BioSurfaces, Inc. was awarded supplemental funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for two high school student internships under the program entitled “Research Assistantships for High School Students (RAHSS).”  This award supplements funding for the ongoing NSF Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Grant entitled “Localized Gene Delivery from Implantable Arterial Devices (Grant Number 0923674).” The goal of this program is to enrich the educational science experience of high school students.  This program encompasses many different facets of scientific discovery that will be beneficial to these students, from chemistry (polymer and textile) and biology (cell and molecular) to implant science and pathology.  Students will be guided by several mentors who each have expertise in these respective fields.  Two sophomores from Ashland High School have been selected as the first candidates for the program.

March 9, 2010 – BioSurfaces, Inc. has agreed to terms on a new 6,700 sq. ft research facility in Ashland, MA.  The company is slated to move into this newly renovated facility by the end of April 2010.  This facility offers expanded office and research space over the company’s current location and will permit the company to expand their work force over the upcoming years.  Additionally, the facility’s layout provides the company flexibility to incorporate small scale production facilities or clean-room technologies as the company’s bench top technology progresses.

August 15, 2009 – BioSurfaces, Inc. was recently awarded a two year, Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Grant from the National Science Foundation (Grant Number - 0923674).  This Phase II grant, with a total award amount of $479,601, is focused on developing a new nanofibrous biomaterial capable of directing the healing processes of native tissue at the implant site via localized delivery of selected genetic compounds.

There continues to be an increase in vascular disease driven largely by an aging population and the increased incidence of diseases such as diabetes and arteriosclerosis.  Using a patient’s own vein to bypass an area of diseased artery (autologous bypass) still remains the first option of care when a patient has been diagnosed with disease affecting the circulatory system. Unfortunately, this is not an option for many patients 1) who may have already utilized all existing veins for previous procedures; 2) where a vein is required for an alternative procedure for which there is no substitute, 3) where increased surgical time required to harvest vein may also increase their chances for complications and 4) in which viable veins may no longer be available due to disease progression.  Thus, development of an off-the-shelf novel biomaterial that would direct healing processes of native tissue at the implant site would decrease patient death and disabilities associated implantation devices such as stents and artificial blood vessels.  The annual projected market for improvement of stents alone is $3.2 billion. 

The principal investigator in charge of this program is Mr. Matthew D. Phaneuf, President and CTO at BioSurfaces, Inc. For questions or inquiries, please contact Mr. Phaneuf at: biosurfaces@verizon.net.