DURHAM, NH - The University of New Hampshire has been awarded a NH BioMade Industry-University Collaboration Seed Fund for a research project in partnership with Velcro USA Inc. entitled “Bio-compatible and/or Absorbable Surgical Mesh Implants for Hernia Repair.”
Hernia is a type of injury in which an organ bulges through a tear in a person's abdominal muscles. Hernia surgeries require closing of the abdominal opening by using a hernia mesh-implant. Currently, sutures, tacks, or bio-glues are used for holding the hernia mesh in place. Hernia mesh-implants can detach from the muscle tissue due to the failure of the sutures, or the mesh-implant itself; thereby causing serious internal injuries. This project will develop a new bonding mechanism between the mesh-implant and the muscle tissue to achieve a strong and robust adherence.
The project is led by Nikhil Padhye, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at UNH, in collaboration with a dedicated cross-functional team at Velcro USA, a privately held company specializing in fasteners with manufacturing facilities in Manchester and Somersworth, NH.
The New Hampshire Center for Multiscale Modeling and Manufacturing of Biomaterials (NH BioMade) advances the design and manufacture of biomaterials. The NH BioMade Research Seed Funding Opportunity provides support for faculty and post-doctoral associates at New Hampshire universities and colleges to pursue research questions related to the NH BioMade focus areas. Led by the University of New Hampshire, NH BioMade is supported by a National Science Foundation EPSCoR award (#1757371).
