A bioresorbable, light-activated polymer, integrated with a 3D-printed chamber, enables atraumatic and sutureless peripheral nerve repair. Translating this material platform from concept to clinical reality required iterative design, scalable manufacturing, multidisciplinary collaboration and long-term vision for a versatile surgical technology.
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Throughout his academic career, J.M.K. has been involved with many companies in several capacities. He has also received licensing fees to patents in which he was an inventor. He has consulted for companies and been a member of advisory boards. He has received a fee for some of his lectures, and has conducted sponsored research funded by companies at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital for which he was not paid. He continues to actively pursue these activities for a select group of companies. J.M.K. has been a paid consultant and/or equity holder for companies, including Tissium, and is a named inventor on tissue fixation patents that have been licensed to Tissium. The interests of J.M.K. were reviewed and are subject to a management plan overseen by his institution in accordance with its conflict-of-interest policies. Other companies he has worked with in the past, or continues to work with in these capacities, include: Alivio Therapeutics, Abercrombie and Fitch, Cobro Ventures, eClinical Solutions, Altrix Bio, Stempeutics, Akita Bio, Sanofi, Celltex, LifeVaultBio, Takeda, Skintifique, Corner Therapeutics, Ligandal, Lumicell, Guidepoint Global, Biomodels, One Fun Company, Katharos Labs, Triton Systems, Edge Immune, W. L. Gore, Camden Partners, Stemgent, Gyro Gear, Mirakel Labs, Janssen Research & Development, Catalio Capital Management, Biogen, Pancryos, IP Asset Ventures, Enlight Biosciences, Mesoblast, SRU Biosystems, New Frontier Bio, Clear Nanosystems, Bullseye Therapeutics, Schick Manufacturing Inc, Biolacuna, Oakley, Element Biosciences, Frequency Therapeutics, Molecular Infusions, Quthero and Vyome. J.M.K. holds equity in several companies that have licensed intellectual property generated by him that may benefit financially if the intellectual property is further validated. J.M.K. has also been a co-principal investigator of a multi-year collaborative grant funded by the Indian Government and a separate grant funded by the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia through the Center of Excellence for Biomedicine, both of which involved research and training of students.
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Karp, J.M. Translating a bioinspired polymer into a modular surgical platform. Nat Rev Bioeng 4, 296–297 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-026-00408-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-026-00408-8
