We are pioneering the research, development and commercialisation of new resorbable photocurable resins based on novel polycarbonate-urethane chemistry. Marketed under our trade name 4Degra®, these resins are suited to a wide range of implantable medical device applications.
Why 4Degra?
Our scientific founders, world-class polymer chemists at leading UK research universities, set out on a mission to develop a resorbable biomaterial that would unlock the potential for better devices that improve patient outcomes and enhance surgeon satisfaction. The result? After fifteen years of rigorous scientific endeavour, they delivered 4Degra®.
Brittle biodegradable materials result in early device failure
Poor degradation profiles lead to bulk erosion & fragmentation
Degradation by-products cause pain & local inflammatory response
Design constraints lead to
compromised device geometries
Resorbable biomaterials haven’t changed significantly for decades. Although widely used in implantable medical devices, materials such as Polylactic Acid (PLA), Polycaprolactone (PCL), Poly Lactic-co-Glycolic Acid (PLGA) and their derivatives have delivered sub-optimal clinical performance with several key issues having been identified.
Improved Performance
4Degra® is a resorbable biomaterial suited to a wide range of implantable medical device applications. Ranging from soft and flexible to strong and rigid, 4Degra® resins are all formulated with 4D Biomaterials® unique polycarbonate-urethane chemistry. Resulting in much lower foreign body response, 4Degra® has been shown to promote significantly faster tissue healing than established bioresorbable polymers.
Softer grades of 4Degra® exhibit excellent shape memory response, making them ideally suited for the manufacture of minimally invasive surgical devices including meshes, stents, films, and soft tissue scaffolds. Harder formulations are suited to more mechanically demanding uses such as trauma fixation plates, pins, screws, and load-bearing bone regeneration scaffolds.
Degradation by Design
All 4Degra® materials are bioresorbable, with the resorption time being uniquely controlled by the resin grade and the device design. 4Degra® implants are resorbed though progressive surface erosion, allowing significant control over the degradation period. 4D Biomaterials proprietary Degradation-by-Design simulation software can be used to determine the optimum geometry and resorption profile for your device.
Process Versatility
4Degra® resins can be cast, applied as coatings or 3D printed. They can be printed on a wide range of photo-curable 3D Printing processes including DLP, LCD, SLA and two-photon lithography. Details of systems and processing parameters are available on request. All technical grade 4Degra® materials are available in 5ml, 30ml, 125ml, 250ml, 500ml and 1 litre batches. Prices available on request.
Optimised Mechanical Properties
4Degra® materials can be tailored to deliver optimised mechanical properties, such as elasticity, strength, and toughness, to match a specific device application. T15 is the softest and most flexible material in the 4Degra® range, with similar properties to soft silicones or stiffer hydrogels. T800 is the mid-range material with similar mechanical properties to resorbable Polycaprolactone (PCL), but with greater toughness. T2500 is the strongest material with properties that exceed existing ‘gold-standard’ resorbable polymers such as Polylactic Acid (PLA) and Poly (Lactic-co-Glycolic Acid (PLGA).
