USF Nursing staff member receives U.S. patent

University of South Florida College of Nursing Research Lab Technician, Bradley Kane, received a United States patent for co-inventing a combination of Insulin and ascorbate to enhance wound healing in one’s cornea, the transparent layer forming the front of the eye.

Discovered through tissue culture experiments, the addition of ascorbate with insulin allows keratocytes, the cells that make up the Cornea, to produce collagen and also keep a specific phenotype during its cell proliferation the occurs during wound healing. Kane began working in this project in 2005 while working at USF College of Medicine as a Biological Scientist. The patent is called “Combination of Insulin and Ascorbate to Enhance Wound Healing” with account number 60823583.

“It feels great to know that a specific project that I created at USF got accepted for a patent,” Kane said. “I’m excited about this project, and the effect that it could have on Cornea research.”

Kane invented the patent with three other people including Retired Professor from USF College of Medicine, John Hassell, MD,  Moffitt’s Speech Pathologist, Bridgette Alexandrou, MS, CCC-SLP, and former faculty member at the USF College of Medicine, Dr. Kurt Mussellman. They completed the project in 2007.

“I hope this research can hopefully help expand research for those people who have incurred a wound to their cornea,” Kane said. “We’re only in the research phase of cornea wound healing, but I hope this invention helps provide a foundation for cornea wound healing process.”

Kane recently received a plaque from USF recognizing his patent award and his work.