A haemostatic plaster has been used on a patient who recently underwent liver surgery at Radboudumc. It is a GATT-Patch, developed by Nijmegen-based company GATT Technologies.
Bleeding can be a major problem during operations. The GATT-Patch is specifically designed to stem heavy to severe bleeding during operations. Manufacturer GATT Technologies reports that the GATT-Patch has stronger haemostatic properties than other haemostatic products available on the market. The patch can also be developed more cost-effectively.
POx hydrogel
The GATT-Patch contains gelatine that provides blood clotting via contact with a wound. Its action is enhanced by dehydrating the blood, concentrating the solid elements of a blood. Once the patch is activated, a combination of P(EtOx-OH-NHS), P(EtOx-NH2) and gelatine creates a POx hydrogel. This gel, on the one hand, ensures the adhesion of the plaster to the tissue and, on the other hand, seals the wound. Together, these effects provide a strong haemostatic effect.
Radboudumc points out that quick solutions to treat complex bleeding are crucial to prevent complications in patients during or after surgery. Haemostatics and sealants have long been used if other methods of stopping blood prove ineffective. Haemostatics are agents that can prevent further bleeding via rapid clotting. However, these products are not always easy to use, not always able to stop bleeding, often made from animal or human blood products and, in addition, relatively expensive.
Research
The patient who underwent liver surgery at Radboudumc is the first of a small group of patients to be treated with the GATT patch in a clinical trial. In addition to the Radboudumc, the University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG) and the Erasmus Medical Centre Rotterdam are participating in this study. Patients have also already been treated within the UMCG. The Radboudumc reports that the GATT Patch has now been used successfully in several patients.
"For patients, it is good news if the patch from GATT Technologies manages to circumvent these limitations," states Hans de Wilt, professor of Oncological Surgery at Radboudumc. "Participating in this clinical trial to see if this innovation can improve care suits Radboudumc, which, after all, wants to contribute to a significant impact on healthcare."
"It is wonderful to see that this patch, developed based on our patented synthetic polymer technology, is now actually being used in patients," says Johan Bender, founder and CTO of GATT. "This first study will provide essential data on the safety and efficacy of GATT-Patch in a clinical setting." Dr Stuart Head, Chief Medical Officer of GATT: "The principal investigators at Radboudumc, UMCG and Erasmus MC - Professors De Wilt, Porte and Verhoef, respectively - and their teams have a lot of expertise in this field. We hope we can continue to use their feedback in the further development of our platform."
Additional trials
"This first-in-man procedure marks a very important step for us," says Geert van Gansewinkel, CEO of GATT, "because we are now moving from a pre-clinical to a clinical company for medical applications. After this first clinical trial, we will conduct additional trials and after completing our European trial, we will proceed to the US to seek FDA approval. We also plan to look at application of the patch in other surgical procedures, such as soft tissue, cardiovascular, lung, kidney, pancreas and so on. In addition, we will continue to develop follow-up products such as GATT powder, for use on a larger area and in hard-to-access bleeding, and GATT gel for use in blood vessel surgery."
GATT focuses entirely on the production of haemostatics. Besides the GATT-Patch, the Nijmegen-based company also develops other haemostatics, such as the GATT Powder to which Van Gansewinkel refers. This haemostatic powder is specifically developed for robotic surgeries and laparoscopies. However, also consider GATT Gel/Spray and GATT Tape. More information ie available on GATT's website.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Image: Dominik Karch via Pixabay
