RUA Vascular
Development of large bore polymer sealed grafts and soft tissue patches
RUA Vascular is the legal manufacturer and intellectual property holder of the Group’s cardiovascular and soft tissue patches and large bore vascular grafts.
In future, RUA Vascular will purchase the completed grafts and patches from RUA Medical on commercial terms and market them to distributors for onward sale to hospitals and OEM customers for inclusion in other devices. RUA Biomaterials will grant RUA Vascular an exclusive licence to incorporate the polymer material into the patches and grafts retaining exclusivity in this field and generating further licence income for RUA Biomaterials.
The currently available technology for soft tissue patches and large bore grafts comprises either animal tissue or textile (PTFE) material. Each material is compromised by either suffering from calcification or subject to tissue ingrowth leading to adhesion. Elast-EonTM based products will avoid these problems and address a market that is suffering a lack of supply of animal sourced products.
The Company has identified device categories that currently rely on abattoir-sourced animal by-products. Replacing animal tissue with Elast-EonTM will eliminate animal by-product sourcing risk and improve product sterilisation options and allow end-to-end control over the supply chain.
RUA Medical has developed and manufactured a range of large bore vascular grafts which will commence regulatory testing shortly.
Prototype Vascular graft developed by RUA Medical for RUA Vascular.
Microscope view of Elast-EonTM sealant.
Uncoated internal fabric of graft to encourage natural healing.