The Technology
Abdominal wall defects caused by severe trauma, burn or cancer ablation involve significant tissue loss (i.e.: the skin, subcutis, muscle and fascia layers), often requiring surgical reconstruction. Various techniques have been used in the final phase of management of abdominal wall reconstruction. It mainly involves the placement of prosthetic biomaterials, xenografts, or allografts. The survival of a graft after its transfer into a recipient is dependent upon its vascularization and the supply of oxygen and other essential nutrients. Tissue survival is dependent on oxygen supply, which is limited to a diffusion distance of up to 300 μm from a supplying blood vessel . The new invention enables viable, well vascularized transferred flap, which provides mechanical support of the viscera, and well-integrated in the surrounding tissue. Furthermore. It bear host and donor-derived blood vessels, this presenting a novel tool for repairing a full-thickness defect of the abdominal wall without requiring transfer of autologous tissue.
Advantages
- Engineered muscle flap, equipped with an autologous vascular pedicle, constitutes an effective tool for reconstruction of large defects, thereby circumventing both the need for autologous flaps and postoperative scarification
Applications and Opportunities
- Replacement of an autologous tissue flap
Business Development Contacts