Dressing material for wounds

Claim 2

1 Transparent dressing material comprising a sheet or strip of a gel, said gel, which is swollen with an aqueous solution, comprising a gellable polysaccharide and/or 125 a protein or polypeptide and a polymer of a hydrophilic acrylic or methacrylic acid derivative.

Claim 3

2 Dressing material according to claim 1, wherein there is present in the aqueous 130 1,594,389 solution at least one substance selected from buffer substances, active materials which are conventional for the treatmerpt of wounds, nutrients and growth-promoting materials.

Claim 4

3 Dressing according to claim I or 2, wherein the gel contains a thread-like or mesh-like strengthening material.

Claim 5

4 Dressing material according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the polymer has been obtained by polymerisation in the presence of the polysaccharide and/or protein or polypeptide.

Claim 6

Dressing material according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the hydrophilic acrylic or methacrylic acid derivative is an amide or an ester with an alkanol which optionally contains one or more additional free hydroxyl groups.

Claim 7

6 Dressing according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the polysaccharide is agarose.

Claim 8

7 Dressing material according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the protein is gelatine.

Claim 9

8 Dressing material according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the gel contains 10 to 90 % by weight of polymerised acrylic or methacrylic acid derivative and 90 to 10 % by weight of polysaccharide and/or protein or polypeptide.

Claim 10

9 Dressing material according to any of the preceding claims, wherein contains 15 to % by weight of aqueous solution.

Claim 11

Dressing material according to claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described and exemplified.

Claim 12

11 Process for the production of a dressing material according to any of claims I to wherein a polymerisable monomeric acrylic or methacrylic acid derivative or a mixture of said monomeric derivatives and at least one gellable polysaccharide and/or protein or polypeptide are, as starting materials for the production of the gel, dissolved in an aqueous medium, the solution is given the thickness desired for the sheet or strip material and then the gel reaction is initiated by the addition of at least one initiator for the polymerisation of the polymerisable monomers.

Claim 13

12 Process according to claim 11, wherein a strengthening material is introduced before during or after the addition of the initiator.

Claim 14

13 Process for the production of a dressing material according to any of claims I to substantially as hereinbefore described and exemplified.

Claim 15

14 Tranparent dressing material according to Claim 1 whenever prepared by the process according to any of claims 11 to 13. Use of the material according to any of claims I to 10 and 14 as a substrate for cell cultures from which metabolic products are to be obtained. VENNER, SHIPLEY & CO, Rugby Chambers, 2 Rugby Street, London WCI. Chartered Patent Agents, Agents for the Applicants. Printed for Her Majesty's Stationery Office by Burgess & Son (Abingdon) Ltd 1981 Published at The Patent Office. Southampton Buildings London, WC 2 A l AY, from which copies may he obtained