Cohera Biomedical Adhesives Inc. is proof that innovation thrives when you tear down the walls that often separate different disciplines in a university. The company is a spinout of a cross-disciplinary research team at the University of Pittsburgh that spanned both the chemical engineering and dental medicine schools.
Cohera's goal is to commercialize TissuGlue, the first nontoxic, synthetic, biodegradable adhesive. The primary target audience is surgeons who need strong surgical glue that can be safely used inside the body.
“Our preliminary studies indicate TissuGlue is as strong in one hour as a naturally healing wound is in one week.”
—Patrick Daly, CEO, Cohera BIOMEDICAL ADHESIVES
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"We have a disruptive technology," says Patrick Daly, Cohera CEO. "There is a huge need for this in the surgical community. TissuGlue is a strong, safe and easy-to-use surgical adhesive."
BFTP works closely with the technology transfer departments at many colleges and universities around the state, including those at the University of Pittsburgh. Cohera's product is precisely the kind of promising technology that BFTP seeks out for its University Innovation Grants—funds intended to help move research and development out of the university lab and into the commercial marketplace.
Cohera used BFTP's $25,000 University Innovation Grant to manage a number of concept-stage issues such as consulting with plastic surgeons on a variety of clinical applications. Daly also credits BFTP with helping Cohera articulate its message and presentation to investors.
"The tissue adhesives currently on the market are either weak, expensive and difficult to prepare, or toxic if used inside the body," Daly says. "Our product is a strong glue that is safe to use inside the body and requires no preparation time. Our preliminary studies indicate TissuGlue is as strong in one hour as a naturally healing wound is in one week."
Currently, medical adhesive products fall into two main categories. One is "Superglue"-type products that are strong, but which cannot be used inside the body because they break down into toxic by-products. The other type—fibrin glues—are biocompatible, but create a weak bond, are difficult to prepare during surgery and are expensive.
"Surgeons need a product that's easy to use, strong enough to hold tissues together well and biocompatible and absorbable so that the adhesive can be used internally," Daly says. "That's where TissuGlue comes in. No single adhesive product currently on the market provides all of these properties."
The flexibility of Cohera's proprietary chemistry will allow the company to generate a whole family of adhesive products with differences in strength, set time and absorption rate to satisfy a number of niches. The medical adhesive market is estimated at $1.6 billion annually.
Subsequent to the University Innovation Grant, Cohera applied for and has recently been approved for a $100,000 investment from BFTP to help take its product development to the next level. Having the support of BFTP is a validation of Cohera's technology, says Daly. "We are going to grow this company to be a dominant force in this market space," he says. "This product is just the tip of the iceberg."
From the March/April 2006 issue |
