Oct. 14, 2002

Kimberly-Clark Donates Patents for Tissue Engineering Technology

Gary Gold

Kimberly-Clark Worldwide has donated two U.S. patents to Rensselaer. The technology is key in the manufacture of microbial cellulose, which holds great promise in the tissue engineering industry. Rensselaer will own the patents outright, as well as any foreign equivalents that result. The amount of the patents is undisclosed.

Rensselaer has licensed the patents to Xylos Corporation, a company established in the Incubator with operations in Watervliet and in Newtown, Pa. Xylos expects to begin worldwide production on a biosynthesized form of microbial cellulose for use in the health care industry including non-invasive and surgical applications — estimated to be a $5 billion market.

"This gift from Kimberly-Clark will extend Rensselaer's growing leadership in biotechnology research and the transfer of discoveries made in the laboratory to the marketplace where they will benefit human health," said President Shirley Ann Jackson.

Xylos was co-founded by Gonzalo "Al" Serafica '92 and Jack Brennan '92. The company's first product line of XCell^® Wound Dressings has been cleared for marketing by the Food and Drug Administration for use on chronic wounds and first- and second-degree burns. In clinical studies the biomaterial has been shown to improve patient comfort and wound healing.

The biomaterial used in XCell^® has proven to be several times more absorbent than traditional dressings, and is capable of holding 100 times its weight in fluid. Additionally, it delivers and absorbs moisture to and from a wound. The biomaterial can be engineered to be incredibly strong, to resorb material in and around a wound, and to carry and deliver active agents, such as medicines, within the material itself.

"The technology allows us to further enhance our planned product development and potentially to address markets and products that we were not previously able to consider," said Serafica.