Methods of manufacturing bioactive gels from extracellular matrix material

Abstract

The present invention is directed to methods of manufacturing bioactive gels from ECM material, i.e., gels which retain bioactivity, and can serve as scaffolds for preclinical and clinical tissue engineering and regenerative medicine approaches to tissue reconstruction The manufacturing methods take advantage of a new recognition that bioactive gels from. ECM material can he created by digesting particularized ECM material in an alkaline environment and neutralizing to provide bioactive gels

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 - 14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . A bioactive wound healing material comprising:
 an extracellular matrix. material (ECM) derived from the extracellular matrix of a mammal gelled at room temperature in a basic solution; and,   particularized ECM in a size ranging from about 1 micron-1000 microns.   
     
     
         16 . The bioactive wound healing material of  claim 15  wherein said particularized ECM is in a size range of about 200-700 microns. 
     
     
         17 . The bioactive wound healing material of  claim 15  wherein said particularized ECM is in a size range of about 300-600 microns. 
     
     
         18 . The bioactive wound healing material of  claim 15  wherein said particularized ECM is in a size range of about 100 to 400 microns. 
     
     
         19 . The bioactive wound healing material of  claim 15  wherein said particularized ECM is in a size range of about 200 microns or about 400 microns. 
     
     
         20 . The bioactive wound healing material of  claim 15  further comprising bioactive components comprising one or more growth factors. 
     
     
         21 . The bioactive wound healing material of  claim 20  wherein said growth factor is selected from the group consisting of FCF, FGF- 2 , CTGF, VEGF and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         22 . The bioactive wound healing material of  claim 15  wherein the extracellular matrix material is selected from the. group consisting of submucosa, tunica propria, dermis, and liver basement membrane. 
     
     
         23 . The bioactive wound healing material of  claim 15  wherein the bioactive material is foamed. 
     
     
         24 . The bioactive wound healing material of  claim 15  wherein the foam material comprises an adherent. 
     
     
         25 . The bioactive wound healing material of  claim 15  wherein the gel comprises a concentration of ECM to a base (w/v) in the range of 0.1% to about 20%.