Silq, NuSil Partner for Adoption of Novel Surface Treatment Tech

Silq Technologies and NuSil (an Avantor subsidiary) began an agreement to facilitate use of Silq’s zwitterionic surface treatment tech on medical devices manufactured with NuSil’s products.

Zwitterion surface tech has the potential to minimize medical implant-associated infections and complications without using antibiotics. Zwitterion functionalized surfaces were also demonstrated to mitigate fibrosis and thrombosis, reduce encrustation, and boost surface lubricity.

Silq, which was spun out of UCLA, developed and deployed a scalable method of applying a permanent zwitterion surface treatment to implantable medical devices. The tech was first demonstrated on indwelling catheters, a common medical implant that’s historically associated with high complication rates.

Silq’s zwitterion-treated ClearTract Foley catheter has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is currently being rolled out commercially across the U.S.

The duo’s collaboration will explore opportunities to apply Silq’s technology on a variety of implantable device currently prone to complications resulting in infections, premature device failure, and surgical removal and replacement.

“We are extremely excited by the potential our collaboration with NuSil offers,” said D. Verne Sharma, CEO of Silq. “This partnership aims to address challenges currently faced by device manufacturers and we believe it will expedite our mission of utilizing zwitterion technology across a diverse array of implantable applications.”

“NuSil is excited to collaborate with Silq, a leader in applying permanent zwitterion surface treatments to implantable medical devices,” added Rich Best, general manager of NuSil. “The potential synergies between these surface coatings and our customized silicone solutions could drive new innovations in emerging therapies and medical devices and bring significant benefit to patients. This collaboration aligns with our mission to set science in motion to create a better world.”