Japanese chemical and pharmaceutical company Teijin has developed a plant-based biodegradable adhesion prevention gel, which is expected to be effectively applied to laparoscopic surgery.
The newly developed gel-form polysaccharide polymer that is prepared from chemically modified cellulose can easily be used in narrow fields or on body parts with complex shapes and it is simply absorbed by the body after a few days, avoiding surgical removal.
Teijin has conducted tests with the new gel on animals and these tests have demonstrated effectiveness in preventing adhesion.
Adhesions are fibrous bands that can grow between normally unconnected tissues after surgery, leading to pain and serious postoperative complications, and the adhesion prevention materials will keep the tissues apart during the surgery and after, while tissues are healing.
The company is also developing instruments targeted for use in laparoscopic surgery, with the new gel positioned as an optimal companion product.
The company is likely to commercialize the new biodegradable adhesion prevention gel by 2020.
