Kohn's new biomaterial is a bioresorbable polymer. It was exclusively licensed early in 2004 by Rutgers' Office of Corporate Liaison & Technology Transfer to a private medical device company, REVA Medical, Inc. (San Diego, Calif.), for incorporation into REVA's stent devices. Stents are tiny tubular-shaped scaffolds that are inserted into diseased arteries to keep them open. The market for such devices currently exceeds $5 billion per year.

Scientists at REVA Medical and at Kohn's Rutgers Laboratory collaborated to choose polymer compositions that would be ideally suited for use in the REVA stent. This process is usually a long and costly research project. With methods of combinatorial synthesis and computer modeling, however, Kohn's group identified a promising polymer composition in an exceptionally short time.

Based on both the rapid development from concept to prototype, and the early success of pre-clinical studies, Boston Scientific Corporation (Natick, Mass.), the world's leading stent company, announced on Nov. 16, 2004 that it had entered into a strategic alliance with REVA Medical. This alliance included a significant investment in REVA Medical.

"We regard REVA's relationship with Boston Scientific as a pivotal chapter in our technology transfer initiative," said Kohn, Board of Governors Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Rutgers and director of the center. "REVA has stent designs that add to the mechanical strength of our polymer, and with Boston Scientific's involvement, we are hopeful the successes we have seen will continue and grow."

REVA Chairman Bob Stockman said, "REVA's close collaboration with Rutgers
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Contact: Barbara Ameer
admin@njbiomaterials.org
732-445-0488
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
23-Nov-2004