Translucent, dehydrated placental tissue and methods of producing and using the same
Inventors
Daniel, John • Griffiths, Sarah • Roy, Annelise Mowry
Assignees
Interested in licensing this patent?
MTEC can help explore whether this patent might be available for licensing for your application.
Publication Number
US-11744918-B2
Publication Date
2023-09-05
Expiration Date
Abstract
Compositions comprising translucent, dehydrated placental tissue and methods of preparing and using those tissues are provided. Repeated dehydration techniques may produce translucent, dehydrated placental tissues, including translucent, dehydrated placental membrane and umbilical cord, with improved visualization and/or handling characteristics. The present invention also includes methods of healing a wound of the skin, eye, nerve, tendon, muscle, dental region, or dura, including burns, comprising applying the translucent, dehydrated placental tissues of the invention to the wound.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to dehydrated placental tissue comprising Wharton’s Jelly, wherein the dehydrated placental tissue is translucent. Conventional dehydration of placental tissues can result in opaque and/or brittle tissue outcomes, which reduces visualization and handling, and the disclosed solution provides translucent, dehydrated graft materials based on placental tissues, including intermediate layer and/or Wharton’s Jelly of umbilical cord.
The disclosure defines translucency in terms of visible light passage and measurable light transmission using spectrophotometry across UV-visible wavelengths. It further describes multiple dehydration cycles together with hydration between dehydration steps, rather than a single dehydration step, to convert brittle and opaque placental tissue into thinner, pliable, translucent tissue.
The description includes comparative examples showing that repeatedly dehydrated samples exhibit high light transmission values, including reported high percent light transmission at wavelengths in the 580–750 nm range, compared with lyophilized and single oven-dehydrated controls. The resulting translucent dehydrated placental tissue is described as suitable as a graft material with improved visualization and handling characteristics.
The document further ties the translucent dehydrated placental tissue to wound healing target sites, including skin, eye, nerve, tendon, muscle, dental region, dura, and burns, by applying the translucent dehydrated placental tissue to wounds.
Claims Coverage
The independent claim defines dehydrated placental tissue with Wharton’s Jelly that is translucent. The dependent claims refine the tissue definition with measurable quality constraints, physical and appearance attributes, translucency definitions by visual inspection and/or spectrophotometric light-transmission criteria, and wound treatment or covering by application of the defined tissue to specified wound types.
Translucent dehydrated placental tissue comprising Wharton’s Jelly
A dehydrated placental tissue comprising Wharton’s Jelly, wherein the dehydrated placental tissue is translucent.
Dehydration quality defined by moisture content range
The dehydrated placental tissue has a moisture content between 0.5% and 50%.
Residual blood limitation by blood-remnant and hemoglobin-content thresholds
The dehydrated placental tissue is substantially free of blood remnants and/or has a hemoglobin content below 13 ng/mg of dry mass.
Sterile dehydrated placental tissue
The dehydrated placental tissue is sterile.
Quantitative translucency defined by spectrophotometric light transmission
The dehydrated placental tissue is characterized such that at least 80% of the tissue exhibits specified minimum light transmission levels measured by spectrophotometry at defined wavelengths, including thresholds such as greater than 60%, greater than 70%, and greater than 80%.
Wound treating or covering by application of the translucent dehydrated placental tissue
A method of treating or covering a wound by applying dehydrated placental tissue, as defined in the translucent Wharton’s Jelly claim, to the wound of a subject.
Overall, the claim coverage centers on translucent dehydrated placental tissue comprising Wharton’s Jelly, optionally constrained by moisture, residual blood and hemoglobin thresholds, sterility, and quantitative spectrophotometric translucency criteria across defined wavelengths, and extended to methods of treating or covering wounds by applying the defined tissue to a subject.
Stated Advantages
Improved visualization and handling of placental graft materials by producing translucent, dehydrated placental tissue.
Documented Applications
Wound healing applications by applying the translucent dehydrated placental tissue to wounds, including skin wounds, eye wounds, burns, and tissue targets such as nerve, tendon, muscle, dental region, and dura.
Interested in licensing this patent?