Since its inception in 2002, Formacoat has specialised in providing coating-engineered application solutions customised for intricate medical device designs, but until recently, its standard business practice has tended to take an agnostic approach to coating:
鈥淪imply put, we have never made coating,鈥� says Todd Paulsen, Vice President of Formacoat. 鈥淥ver many years, we have created a library of coatings from many different vendors which has allowed us to present the ultimate coating solution to our customers鈥� needs for their medical devices.鈥�
Fast forward to 2023, when DSM Biomedical (DSM), a life and materials sciences company, approached Formacoat with an interesting proposal 鈥� the potential divestiture of their VitroStealth coating to a trusted vendor.
DSM was making some changes with the realignment of products and, while VitroStealth was a first-rate coating, it no longer fitted in their portfolio. However, they wanted to pass it to a company that would champion VitroStealth, whilst taking care of their established customers. Consequently, they identified Formacoat as the ideal candidate.
When initially approached with this offer, Formacoat鈥檚 long history with vendors caused them to hesitate as it could jeopardize well-established relationships built up over the last 20-plus years.
Paulsen says his team responded quickly to alleviate any concerns, 鈥淥ur team of chemists and engineers set to work and did what they do best: researched VitroStealth and concluded that it was a best-in-class, exceptional coating鈥�.
VitroStealth鈥檚 characteristics
VitroStealth鈥檚 coating characteristics offer non-biofouling (NBF) properties with high resilience. As a solvent-based coating system, cured by UV light, the coating can be processed rapidly and applied using several liquid coating techniques including dip coating, spin coating and spray coating. The result is scratch-resistant surfaces with hydrophilic properties, reducing unwanted protein absorption and cellular adhesion.
A valuable characteristic of VitroStealth coating is its hydrophilic properties, and with plastic capillary surfaces, it allows the vessels to fill completely, preventing analytes from gathering on the plastic walls. It has also shown to provide a significant advantage in improving the performance of biosensors[i].
A study undertaken by DSM found that VitroStealth coating does not impede the flow of glucose or oxygen through coated filters, expanding its application to the design of biosensors, where permeability and non-fouling are paramount to ensure accurate, sensitive, and reliable measurements, and prevent blocking by biomolecules of the sensor’s active surface.
The potential
Formacoat can see potential in this product and provides a low-risk entry into the 鈥渃oating for sale鈥� market.
Further to this, as Paulsen points out, 鈥淔ormacoat is always on the lookout for the next best thing, but we are about thinking outside of the box 鈥� creatively applying different technologies in new and innovative ways.
鈥淲e are excited about the trust that has been placed in Formacoat by DSM and are equally as thrilled to discover more about what we can do with this coating!鈥�
[i] /contractors/material-solutions/dsm1/pressreleases/pressvitrostealth-coating-point-care-cartridge/
