Dried hydrogel, dried vitrigel membrane, and methods for producing the same

Abstract

A dried vitrigel membrane is produced by a method including the following steps of (1) a step of keeping a hydrogel in the inside of a wall surface mold with a shape the same as the desired shape disposed on a substrate, and discharging a part of free water within the hydrogel from a gap between the substrate and the wall surface mold; (2) a step of removing the wall surface mold from the top of the substrate; (3) a step of drying the hydrogel to remove the residual free water, thereby fabricating a vitrified dried hydrogel; (4) a step of rehydrating the dried hydrogel to fabricate a vitrigel membrane; and (5) a step of redrying the vitrigel membrane to remove free water, thereby fabricating a vitrified dried vitrigel membrane.

1 . A dried vitrigel membrane, characterized by not having on amorphous outer peripheral edge. 
     
     
         2 . The dried vitrigel membrane according to  claim 1 , characterized by attaching to a substrate. 
     
     
         3 . The dried vitrigel membrane according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the dried vitrigel membrane is superposed with a film possessing a capacity facilitating the detachability of the dried vitrigel membrane. 
     
     
         4 . The dried vitrigel membrane according to  claim 3 , characterized in that the film is Parafilm. 
     
     
         5 . A dried hydrogel, characterized by not having, an amorphous outer peripheral edge. 
     
     
         6 . The dried hydrogel according to  claim 5 , characterized by attaching to a substrate. 
     
     
         7 . The dried hydrogel according to  claim 5 , characterized in that the dried hydrogel is superposed with a film possessing a capacity facilitating the detachability of the dried hydrogel. 
     
     
         8 . The dried hydrogel according to  claim 7 , characterized in that the film is Parafilm. 
     
     
         9 . A method for producing a dried vitrigel membrane having a desired shape, characterized by including the following steps of:
 (1) a step of keeping a hydrogel in the inside of a well surface mold with a shape the same as the desired shape disposed on a substrate, and discharging a part of a free water within the hydrogel from a gap between the substrata and the wall surface mold;   (2) a step of removing the wall surface mold from the top of the substrate;   (3) a step of drying the hydrogel to remove the residual free water, thereby fabricating a vitrified dried hydrogel;   (4) a step of rehydrating the dried hydrogel to fabricate a vitrigel membrane; and   (5) a step of redrying the vitrigel membrane to remove free water, thereby fabricating a vitrified dried vitrigel membrane.   
     
     
         10 . The method for producing a dried vitrigel membrane according to  claim 9 , characterized in that in the step (1), a support is introduced into the hydrogel in the inside of the wall surface mold. 
     
     
         11 . The method for producing a dried vitrigel membrane according to  claim 9 , characterized in that in the step (1), the amount of the free water within the hydrogel is reduced to from about ¼ to ¾. 
     
     
         12 . The method for producing a dried vitrigel membrane according to  claim 9 , characterized in that in the step (5), the dried vitrigel membrane is vitrified on a film possessing a capacity facilitating the detachability of the dried vitrigel membrane. 
     
     
         13 . The method for producing a dried vitrigel membrane according to  claim 12 , characterized in that the film is Parafilm. 
     
     
         14 . A method for producing a dried vitrigel membrane capable of being molded in a desired shape, characterized by including the following steps of:
 (1) a step of keeping a hydrogel in the inside of a surface wall mold having an arbitrary shape, disposed on a substrate on which a film possessing a capacity facilitating the detachability of the dried vitrigel membrane is laid, and discharging a part of free water within the hydrogel from a gap between the film on the substrate and the wall surface mold;   (2) a step of removing the wall surface mold from the top of the substrate;   (3) a step of drying the hydrogel to remove the residual free water, thereby fabricating a vitrified dried hyrogel;   (4) a step of rehydrating the dried hydrogel to fabricate a vitrigel membrane; and   (5) a step of redrying the vitrigel membrane to remove free water, thereby fabricating a vitrified dried vitrigel membrane.   
     
     
         15 . The method for producing a dried vitrigel membrane according to  claim 14 , characterized by after the step (5), including
 (6) a step of cutting the dried vitrigel membrane superposed with the film in a desired shape.   
     
     
         16 . The method for producing a dried vitrigel membrane according to  claim 15 , characterized by after the step (6), including
 a step of releasing the dried vitrigel membrane from the film.   
     
     
         17 . The method for producing a dried vitrigel membrane according to  claim 14 , characterized in that the film is Parafilm. 
     
     
         18 . The method for producing a dried vitrigel membrane according to  claim 14 , characterized in that in the step (1), a support is introduced into the hydrogel in the inside of the wall surface mold. 
     
     
         19 . The method for producing a dried vitrigel membrane according to  claim 14 , characterized in that in the step (1), the amount of the free water within the hydrogel is reduced to from about ¼ to ¾. 
     
     
         20 . A method for producing a dried hydrogel having a desired shape, characterized by including the following steps of:
 (1) a step of keeping a hydrogel in the inside of a wall surface mold with a shape the same as the desired shape disposed on a substrate, and discharging a part of a free water within the hydrogel from a gap between the substrate and the wall surface mold;   (2) a step of removing the wall surface mold from the top of the substrate; and   (3) a step of drying the hydrogel to remove the residual free water, thereby fabricating a vitrified dried hydrogel.   
     
     
         21 . The method for producing a dried hydrogel according to  claim 20 , characterized in that the step (1), a support is introduced into the hydrogel in the inside of the wall surface mold. 
     
     
         22 . The method for producing a dried hydrogel according to  claim 20 , characterized in that in the step (1), the amount of the free water within the hydrogel is reduced to from about ¼ to ¾. 
     
     
         23 . The method for producing a dried hydrogel according to  claim 20 , characterized in that in the step (3), the vitrification is conducted on a film possessing a capacity facilitating the detachability of the dried hydrogel. 
     
     
         24 . The method for producing a dried hydrogel according to  claim 23 , characterized in that the film is Parafilm. 
     
     
         25 . A method for producing a dried hydrogel capable of being molded in a desired shape, characterized by including the following steps of:
 (1) a step of keeping a hydrogel in the inside of a surface wall mold having an arbitrary shape, disposed on a substrate on which a film possessing a capacity facilitating the detachability of the dried hydrogel is laid, and discharging a part of free water within the hydrogel from a gap between the film on the substrate and the wall surface mold;   (2) a step of removing the wall surface mold from the top of the substrate; and   (3) a step of drying the hydrogel to remove the residual free water, thereby fabricating a vitrified dried hydrogel.   
     
     
         26 . The method for producing a dried hydrogel according to  claim 25 , characterized by after the step (3), including
 (4) a step of cutting the dried hydrogel superposed with the film in a desired shape.   
     
     
         27 . The method for producing a dried hydrogel seconding to  claim 26 , characterized by offer the step (4), including
 a step of releasing the dried hydrogel from the film.   
     
     
         28 . The method for producing a dried hydrogel according to  claim 25 , characterized in that in the step (1), a support is introduced into the hydrogel to the inside of the wall surface mold. 
     
     
         29 . The method for producing a dried hydrogel according to  claim 25 , characterized in that in the step (1), the amount of the free water within the hydrogel is reduced to from about ¼ to ¾. 
     
     
         30 . The method for producing a dried hydrogel according to  claim 25 , characterized in that the film is Parafilm. 
     
     
         31 . A laminate, characterized in that the dried vitrigel membranes according to  claim 1  are superposed and integrated. 
     
     
         32 . An equivalent of collagen constituting mainly a substance of a cornea using a laminate obtained by superposing plural sheets of vitrigel membranes in which the dried vitrigel membrane according to  claim 1  is made of collagen as a raw material, and this dried vitrigel membrane is rehydrated. 
     
     
         33 . An equivalent of collagen constituting mainly a substance of a cornea using a vitrigel membrane obtained by rehydrating a laminate in which the dried vitrigel membrane according to  claim 1  is made of collagen as a raw material, and these dried vitrigel membranes are superposed and integrated.