Novartis Ag

Polytechnic University

Sung Yun Yang

Yongxing Qiu

Lynn Cook Winterton

John Martin Lally

Michael F Rubner

Mark M Green

The present invention provides a method for preparing a medical device, preferably a contact lens, having an antimicrobial metal-containing LbL coating on a medical device, wherein the antimicrobial metal-containing LbL coating comprises at least one layer of a negatively charged polyionic material having &#x2014;COOAg groups and/or silver nanoparticles formed by reducing Agions associated with the &#x2014;COOgroups of the negatively charged polyionic material. In addition, the present invention provides a medical device prepared according to a method of the invention.

Method for making medical devices having antimicrobial coatings thereon

Forming graft copolymers in water using labeling of water soluble polymers with photoinitiators. Water soluble polymers can form environmentally responsive hydrophobically stimulated cages. The cages, which contain initiating radicals after irradiation, may be &ldquo;opened&rdquo; or &ldquo;closed&rdquo; by changes in environmental conditions. When the cage is closed, the radicals are trapped inside and thus do not cause substantial polymerization of water soluble monomers in the same solution. When the cage is closed, the radicals escape and cause polymerization. In another variation, hydrogels and graft copolymers are formed by covalently linking phototoinitiator groups to water soluble polymers that do not form cages. Thus, monomers may form grafts to the polymer, allowing formation of physical hydrogels. The physical hydrogels formed in either case show properties responsive to pH, salt and/or solvent composition, so that the hydrogels may be rendered to a powder by addition of non-solvents and these powders can reform the gels.

Hydrogels and methods for their production

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Cambridge, MA, United States of America

Sung Yun Yang