Polymers™

Have you ever struggled to open a blister-packed contact lens? Or, perhaps you’ve been able to calm a toddler’s tearful meltdown with a quickly applied SpongeBob Band-Aid — thanks to paper backing that was easy to peel off. Both scenarios illustrate how critical packaging is to the utility of health-care devices. The medical device packaging vertical is a multi-billion-dollar industry that engages in research, development and manufacturing of the packaging that protects life-saving pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Demand for medical device packaging will grow nearly 6 percent to $25.7 billion in 2017,  market research firm Freedonia predicts. Another market research firm,  Technavio, predicts growth  of more than 6 percent between now and 2020. Without safe, effective packaging, medical devices wouldn’t be possible. Pouches, clamshell packs, blister packs, glass vials and other types of containers protect all marketed medical devices, whether their end-us...

In the past, we  blogged  about biodegradable stents; and years later here we are again with the exciting topic back in the news! The way heart disease is treated is seeing promising advancements with Absorb, a fully-dissolving biodegradable stent recently approved by the  Food and Drug Administration . The stent, manufactured by Abbott Vascular, gives doctors and patients a new alternative to permanent, metal stents in treating coronary artery blockages that may cause heart attacks or chest pain.  Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and affects an estimated 13 million people in the United States. Similar to biodegradable sutures, bone screws and other absorbable medical devices, the stent is absorbed by the body within two to three years of placement, allowing the artery to return to a more natural state. Once the stent is fully dissolved, four small platinum markers are left so doctors can identify where the stent wa...

We’ve all been there before – that gut-wrenching moment when you tear your favorite shirt or pair of pants. So, what do you do? Unless it’s a tear in the seam, it can be difficult to fix – you may just accept your loss and toss the item. However did you know that Americans throw out  82 pounds  of textiles every year? And usually, these items end up in landfills. Penn State University researchers are attempting to combat this issue – all while letting you keep your beloved clothing — with the help of a  polyelectrolyte liquid that may allow torn clothes to self-repair. The research team is led by Melik Demirel, a professor of engineering science and mechanics at Penn State. The liquid is biodegradable and made from bacteria and yeast. The process is simple: apply a small amount of the liquid to the tear, apply warm water, and press the edges together.  Wa-lah –Just like that your pesky tear is fixed! The liquid creates a polyelectrolyte coating, which is m...

Even those of us who touch the medical device industry on an almost daily basis often find ourselves in awe of how vast, economically robust and life-affecting it is. Thousands of products are categorized as medical devices, and they’ve influenced (and saved) untold numbers of people around the world. Few industries have as much transformative power. Health technology, which encompasses medical devices, was the most profitable industry in 2015,  Forbes reports . By 2017, the medical device industry is expected to grow in size to $155 billion, according to the  International Trade Administration . Currently, the U.S. accounts for 43 percent of the global medical device market, and we exported $44 billion worth of medical devices  in 2015 . Staggering numbers are far from the only thing impressive about the medical device industry. The medical device industry is singularly adept at innovating new technologies that have applications outside the industry. What’s mo...

For all the progress medical science has made in the past century, some things are still beyond the reach of modern physicians. For example, medical science can treat diabetes but can’t cure it. We can manage symptoms once a patient’s been diagnosed with diabetes, but can’t repair the damage the disease can cause to the patient’s kidneys. We can replace damaged kidneys with donor organs, but can’t eliminate the risk of rejection. Regenerative medicine  aims to change those limitations. It’s an emerging, evolving field of research that encompasses both tissue engineering and self-healing at the cellular level. By harnessing the body’s own power to regenerate itself, researchers hope to discover ways to repair or replace damaged cells, tissues and organs. And because the science hinges on using a patient’s own cells, whenever possible, to create the regenerative effect, regenerative medicine holds the promise of rejection- and  complication-free treatment  for a varie...

A party favorite that most everyone has used: glow sticks. Whether at a birthday party, holiday gathering, or wedding send-off glow sticks are just plain fun! In addition, glow sticks can help save lives in emergency situations, such as natural disasters; and are also commonly used by campers and scuba divers. So, we recently got to thinking. How in the world do these little plastic tubes work? If you follow our blog, by now you probably know that when we wonder about a cool science phenomena we just have to dig up the answers. That’s exactly what we did! After doing a little bit of research, here is what we learned about this no bulb, and no battery (yet fun and useful) light source. When you bend a glow stick an exergonic reaction occurs. Exergonic simply means energy-releasing. Inside of the plastic tube there are  two compartments  and a fluorescent dye (which gives a glow stick the desired color). One section of the glow stick contains hydrogen peroxide, which is he...

During the holidays life can get a bit crazy. Shopping, decorating and holiday parties are a few things that can throw this time of the year into a frenzy. With everything going on, cooking is probably the last thing on your to do list. After all, it’s easy to go through a drive thru, grab your food, and be on your way. It’s pretty typical for fast food chains and restaurants to provide plastic cutlery for to-go meals. However, things are about to change for plastic cutlery and disposable dishes in France. In a controversial move, the country is giving producers  until 2020  to switch to disposable dishes made from 50 percent biodegradable materials, and by 2025 this number will increase to 60 percent. The goal is to cut waste in addition to cutting energy used to make plastic.  The Controversy Many parties have voiced their opinions about France’s latest efforts. And, just to be transparent, the PSI News Team remains unbiased on these types of issues. O...

Imagine a world where chronic diseases and other medical needs could be treated with electrical signals in the body. Researchers are hoping to make this a reality by utilizing bioelectronic medicine, an emerging branch of life sciences. Arthritis, asthma and diabetes are some of the illnesses bioelectronic medicines could help treat by utilizing miniature bioelectronic implants smaller than a grain of rice. These implants can modify nerve signals to the body’s organs. According to  GlaxoSmithKline  (GSK), “Bioelectronic medicine is a relatively new scientific field that aims to tackle a wide range of chronic diseases using miniaturized, implantable devices that can modify electrical signals that pass along nerves in the body, including irregular or altered impulses that occur in many illnesses.” In August 2016 it was announced that  GSK was partnering with Verily Life LLC (formerly Google Life Sciences) to form Galvani Bioelectronics, which will be focused on the re...

Some may say we are a nation of over-consumers. Who can deny enjoying the occasional fast food and good day of shopping? It is estimated that  50 million people visit quick-service restaurants each day , while  154 million consumers shopped  in stores and online on Black Friday 2016.  We want stuff fast, we want it cheap and then, it seems, we just throw it away. Most products we buy are delivered in single-use plastic packaging, from our fast-food containers and water bottles to grocery produce and shopping bags. According to the EPA, we use  an estimated 380 billion plastic bags and wrappers each year  in the United States, which equals nearly 1,500 per adult in the U.S. population. All of this may sound a bit alarming, but there are easy steps we can take towards a greener society — and what better time than the new year to kick start this movement!  Plastic packaging has revolutionized the consumer-product industry, provid...