Biorubber (PGS) : evaluation of a novel biodegradable elastomer

Poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS), or biorubber, is a tough, biodegradable elastomer made from biocompatible monomers. The material was designed, synthesized and characterized in the Department of Chemical Engineering at MIT. Its main features are good mechanical properties, rubberlike elasticity and surface erosion biodegradation. PGS was proved to have similar in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility to PLGA, poly(L-lactic-co-glycolic acid), a widely used biodegradable polymer. PGS has been tested for use as nerve guide material and to fabricate artificial capillary networks for tissue engineering applications, both yielding promising results. Currently, the PGS research group continues to develop the material and to seek applications to maximize market potential and impact in the medical field, i.e. stenting (cardiovascular and non-vascular) and tissue engineering (cardiovascular and musculoskeletal). These markets were estimated at $5 billion dollars [1] and potentially over $10 billion dollars [2], respectively in the U.S. for 2004. Another promising field involves drug delivery, particularly in combination devices like drug-eluting stents. The potential non-medical applications are biodegradable rubbish bags, the absorbent material used in sanitary napkins or diapers, and even fishing lure or chewing gum.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2006

Author dc:creator

• Manzanedo, Diana

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Lorna J. Gibson.

• Materials Science and Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/37687

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/37687