Technology
New properties emerge when catechol and gallol are combined with biocompatible polymers. We named them as 'BiMM (Bio-inspired Medical Materials) Library'.
InnoSeal’s technology comes from nature. There are extraordinary phenomena in nature that have not yet been discovered, but among them, InnoSeal is researching and commercializing adhesive materials found in nature. Since more than 70% of the human body is made up of water, underwater adhesion properties are particularly required in biomedical materials. Therefore, we are curious about how aquatic organisms adhere to surfaces, and we are studying and applying the bonding mechanisms between essential components and molecules in this phenomenon to create medical devices with excellent adhesive properties.


To date, catechol or catecholamine, which are polyphenol molecules, are known to be essential substances for underwater adhesion. InnoSeal has conducted various basic and applied research related to this. 1) 2) 3) Some systems bond aquatic organisms by creating calcium-based cement, however, InnoSeal focuses on organic-based adhesives, introducing catechol or catecholamine into various biocompatible polymers.
Another substance that exhibits underwater adhesion properties is gallol. Gallol is mainly present in plants and is the main substance that gives them a bitter taste. Astringency is closely related to adhesiveness, as astringent substances stick to the oral mucosa and increase friction force. Applying these properties of gallol can lead to the development of devices that deliver therapeutic agents by adhering to the gastrointestinal mucosa as well as the oral cavity.

A common property of BiMM library adhesive materials
is that they bind well to proteins in the body. This can be used to develop innovative medical
devices.
01
The property of binding to plasma proteins can be used to create a general-purpose hemostatic agent. In particular, it will be an excellent alternative for patients with chronic cardiovascular disease taking anticoagulants such as aspirin and warfarin, patients with diabetes, and patients with coagulopathy due to genetic causes that make it difficult to stop bleeding. 4) 5)
02
It can be combined with the mucosal proteins of the gastrointestinal tract to create an effective device that prevents gastrointestinal mucosal bleeding. 6) 7) 8)
03
When BiMM library material is coated onto a syringe needle and injected, it can immediately bind to plasma proteins in the blood and block the puncture site. This self-sealing technology can prevent leakage in various surgical sites as well as in needles that do not bleed when pricked. 9)
04
Nanoparticles can be created by combining them with proteins and peptides that can be used as drugs. 10) This formulation is a very suitable method for drug delivery.
05
The surface of viral vectors used for gene transfer is made of proteins. By introducing BiMM library materials into the viral vector surface protein, it can be expanded into a platform for a stabilized formulation that can deliver therapeutic genes to target organs, making it applicable to gene therapy.

In addition to the technologies
mentioned above,
InnoSeal's new technologies will
expand into various fields and grow into Medical Transcender.
Reference
- 1. Lee H, Scherer NF, Messersmith PB. Single-molecule mechanics of mussel adhesion. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2006;103(35):12999-13003. doi:10.1073/pnas.0605552103 2. Lee H, Lee BP, Messersmith PB. A reversible wet/dry adhesive inspired by mussels and geckos. Nature. 2007;448(7151):338-341. doi:10.1038/nature059683. Lee H, Dellatore SM, Miller WM, Messersmith PB. Mussel-inspired surface chemistry for multifunctional coatings. Science. 2007;318(5849):426-430. doi:10.1126/science.11472414. Ryu JH, Lee Y, Kong WH, Kim TG, Park TG, Lee H. Catechol-functionalized chitosan/pluronic hydrogels for tissue adhesives and hemostatic materials. Biomacromolecules. 2011;12(7):2653-2659. doi:10.1021/bm200464x5. Shin M, Ryu JH, Kim K, Kim MJ, Jo S, Lee MS, Lee DY, Lee H. Hemostatic swabs containing polydopamine-like catecholamine chitosan-catechol for normal and coagulopathic animal models. ACS Biomater Sci & Eng. 2018; 4(7):2314-2318. doi:10.1021/acsbiomaterials.8b004516. Ryu JH, Choi JS, Park E, Eom MR, Jo S, Lee MS, Kwon SK, Lee H. Chitosan oral patches inspired by mussel adhesion. J Control Release. 2020;317:57-66. doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2019.11.0067. Kim K, Shin M, Koh M-Y, Ryu JH, Lee MS, Hong S, Lee H. TAPE: a medical adhesive inspired by a ubiquitous compound in plants. Adv Funct Mater. 2015;25(16):2402-2410. doi: 10.1002/adfm.2015000348. Kim K, Kim K, Ryu JH, Lee H. Chitosan-catechol: a polymer with long-lasting mucoadhesive properties. Biomaterials. 2015;52:161-170. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2015.02.0109. Shin M, Park SG, Oh BC, Kim K, Jo S, Lee MS, Oh SS, Hong S-H, Shin E-C, Kim K-S, Kang S-W, Lee H. Complete prevention of blood loss with self-sealing haemostatic needles. Nat Mater. 2017;16(1):147-152. doi:10.1038/nmat475810. Shin M, Lee HA, Lee M, Shin Y, Song J-J, Kang S-W, Nam D-H, Jeon EJ, Cho M, Do MJ, Park SH, Lee MS, Jang J-H, Cho S-W, Kim K-S, Lee H. Targeting protein and peptide therapeutics to the heart via tannic acid modification. Nat Biomed Eng. 2018;2(5):304-317. doi:10.1038/s41551-018-0227-9

