Hydrogels formed by non-covalent linkages

Patent Number: 6949590

Hydrogels are very useful for adminstration of cells into localized tissues. One of the problems is that polymerization of hydrogels often uses catalysts, which add problems to medical implimentation due to adverse effects of catalysts. This invention teaches ways of making hydrogels so that they do not require catalysts. The invention has 3 independent claims. The first covers " hydrogel comprising polymer molecules and bridging molecules". The second, "A device comprising hydrogel" and the third "A pharmaceutical composition, comprising polymer molecules, bridging molecules, and biologically active molecules". The biologically active molecules may be anything, including stem cell stimulants.

View this patent on the USPTO website.