Nanostructured keratin scaffold for wound care and tissue
This technology produces extremely small keratin particles — nanomaterials derived from the same protein found in hair and wool — using a controlled filtration process. The resulting nanostructures are built from matched pairs of keratin protein subunits and measure roughly 50 nanometers long and just 1-5 nanometers in diameter. Because keratin is naturally biocompatible and biodegradable, these nanomaterials can serve as building blocks for medical and wound-care biomaterials. The production method is relatively straightforward, using ultrafiltration with a phosphate buffer solution to isolate and assemble the nanostructures from a keratin solution.
What you could build
A keratin-based nanomaterial ingredient or scaffold supplied to wound care product manufacturers and biotech firms developing tissue adhesives, wound dressings, and surgical sealants; buyers would be medical device companies and contract manufacturers in the regenerative medicine space.
Who in Virginia should care
Virginia-based defense and biomedical contractors (e.g., those near the Hampton Roads or NoVA corridors) working on field wound care or regenerative tissue products could find this relevant, as could academic spinouts from Virginia research universities.
Readiness: Lab validated
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Mark Van Dyke, Maria Rahmany
- Granted
- September 3, 2019
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 10400019
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.