Achievement

During a Genzyme co-op facilitated by ICE IGERT, Erika Saffer (trainee, chemical engineering) worked to develop novel products for adhesion prevention. Adhesions are post-surgical fibrous bands that can form between organs and lead to complications, such as small bowel obstruction, infertility and chronic pelvic pain. Approved for use in open abdominal and GYN procedures, biomaterial adhesion barriers are wrapped around organs, where they form a gel that prevents adhesion formation. Within days, the film is reabsorbed and eliminated by the body. Currently, no adhesion barriers have been approved for laproscopic procedures. At Genzyme, Erika assisted in the development of this novel product. She introduced variation in material formulation, investigated property changes through in vitro experimentation, and identified lead candidates for in vivo evaluation. Erika commented, “Knowing that the product I was working on has a chance to reach the market someday is very gratifying.”