CorMatrix Cardiovascular, a US-based medical device manufacturer, has received three patents from the US Patent and Trademark Office for its biomaterial heart valve that is made from biomaterial called extracellular matrix (ECM).
The patents, with numbers 8,257,434, 8,409,275 and 8,449,607 and titled ‘Prosthetic Tissue Valve’, cover a flat valve configuration, which can be used in several cardiovascular applications.
CorMatrix chairman and CEO David Camp said that the receipt of these three patents is just the beginning.
"In the last year alone, we have filed more than 90 US and international patent applications and, in view of our on-going research efforts and the opening of our new laboratory facilities, we envision further significant enhancement of our existing patent portfolio," Camp added.
CorMatrix sales and marketing executive vice president John Davis said that the use of CorMatrix ECM continues to gain acceptance across the globe.
"Having not one, but two of the top 11 poster presentations – and the top presentation overall – speaks volumes for the medical applications of CorMatrix ECM," Davis added.
ECM is a platform technology with multiple cardiovascular applications that supports native tissue repair by providing a bioscaffold that enables a patient’s own cells to repopulate and repair damaged tissues, CorMatrix said.
CorMatrix chief scientific officer Dr Robert Matheny said that ECM is a naturally occurring substance that helps regulate cells and is present in all humans and animals.
"After sterilization and testing, CorMatrix ECM is an exceptionally strong, but very pliable and thin sheet that can be sewn onto the heart to facilitate the repair of different heart structures," Matheny added.
CorMatrix received FDA approval and European CE mark for ECM technology as an implant for pericardial closure, cardiac tissue repair, as well as an intracardiac patch (or pledget) for tissue repair of structural problems.