USPTO awards two new patents to Nerites

Aug 28 2009

Nerites Corporation announced Thursday that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued two new patents covering the company’s technology. These “composition of matter” patents provide underlying intellectual property protection for surgical adhesives, films, and coatings. Nerites’ scientists create synthetic mimetics of the protein components used by marine mussels to stick to rocks under water. Similar to their natural inspiration, Nerites adhesive polymers can function in a saline environment such as the human body. The adhesives can glue tissues together, seal air and fluid leaks, and prevent bacterial contamination. They demonstrate biocompatibility and high strength in multiple animal models.

“Nerites was founded out of research conducted in Dr. Phil Messersmith’s laboratory at Northwestern University,” explained Dr. Bruce Lee, Director of New Technology at Nerites. “We obtained an exclusive, global license to the Northwestern work and built upon it at our own facilities in Madison. One of these new patents was generated in Dr. Messersmith’s lab, and the other was generated entirely at Nerites. Our groups continue to collaborate productively.”

Dr. Messersmith commented: “It is gratifying to see these innovations progress from the academic domain towards commercialization. These novel compounds offer great promise in medicine, and I’m looking forward to seeing them become part of surgeons’ toolkits.”

Shaun Lonergan, Nerites’ CEO, stated: “I’m pleased to see the Intellectual Property portfolio of Nerites growing and strengthening every day. Patents are the foundation of the value we offer to potential corporate partners. Our technology is differentiated from other adhesives not only by its superior performance, but also by its unique composition. These advantages make Nerites an attractive partner for medical device companies seeking to develop a new adhesive product.”