Home | Business News | Browse by Publication | P | PR Newswire

Donaldson Company and SurModics Jointly Developing Nanofiber Cell Culture Products.

Article Excerpt
New synthetic ECM mimics 3-D cell growth in body

MINNEAPOLIS, May 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Donaldson Company, Inc. , a leading worldwide manufacturer of filtration systems, and SurModics, Inc. , a leading provider of surface modification and drug delivery technologies to the healthcare industry, announced today that they have entered into a joint development agreement to combine Donaldson's nanofiber technology with SurModics' surface modification technology. The two companies are jointly developing novel 3-dimensional Ultra-Web(TM) Synthetic Extracellular Matrix (ECM) products to enhance cell culture, cell-based bioassays, and other in vitro cell-related applications.

Currently, researchers must choose between traditional 2-dimensional plastic or glass culture surfaces bearing no resemblance to in vivo conditions, or biologically derived matrices, which are expensive and inconsistent. Donaldson and SurModics are developing a tailored, synthetic 3- D cell culture platform that more accurately emulates the cells' native environment, thus making research results more relevant.

"We are excited about the opportunity to establish this relationship with the leader in nanofiber technology and another strong Minnesota company," said Bruce Barclay, President and COO of SurModics. "By leveraging each company's strengths,...