Jian Yang, Ph.D.

A material based on a natural product of bones and citrus fruit, called citrate, provides the extra energy that stem cells need to form new bone tissue, according to a team of Penn State bioengineers. Their new understanding of the mechanism that allows citrate to aid in bone regeneration will help the researchers develop slow-release, biodegradable, citrate-releasing scaffolds to act as bone-growth templates to speed up healing in the body.

“In our lab, we have been working with citrate for over a decade,” said Jian Yang, professor of biomedical engineering, Penn State. “We knew that in the human body, 90 percent of organic citrate is located in skeletal tissue. But no one had really tried to use citrate as a building block to make bone biomaterials. Our new paper tries to understand how citrate helps in bone healing and uses the understanding to guide the design of new biomimetic biomaterials for better bone repair… Continue reading.

State College, PA–Biomaterials and medical device company Aleo BME has received notification from the U.S. Federal Drug Administration that it has been approved for the sale and licensing of ElaSkinTM as a liquid bandage for the protection and treatment of a broad set of skin conditions and injuries.

ElaSkin’sTM development validates Aleo BME’s approach to biopolymer production and characterization and demonstrates an ability to enter critical regulated markets and produce medical devices that can benefit large patient populations.

The compelling features of ElaSkinTM include: transparency, elasticity, clean and easy removal, water resistance, rapid drying, bacterial impermeability and the sensation of true protection. According to CEO Chao Liu, “ElaSkinTM is a best-in-class technology that has a lot of potential uses in health care beyond the growing liquid bandage market. Its structure and strength afford it a degree of comfort and durability that no other marketed, biocompatible material has achieved. We’ve found a lot of uses for this science, but the breadth and growth of the wound care market makes it a great place to start… Continue reading.

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has announced the pending induction of Jian Yang, Ph.D., Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, to its College of Fellows. Dr. Yang was nominated, reviewed, and elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows For contributions to the citrate-based biomaterials and technology translation in medical device industry.