A SUBSIDIARY of Collagen Solutions has secured a patent in the United States for the processing of a new biomaterial which can be used in heart valve replacements.

The AIM-listed company said Southern Lights Biomaterials, the New Zealand company Collagen Solutions bought in November as part of a deal which could be worth up to £6 million, already supplies to a number of prosthetic heart valve manufacturers.

Recent advances in this area mean some valves can now be delivered by a catheter and therefore avoid a need for open heart surgery.

However the bovine pericardium used in the construction of the valves has needed to be folded but its thickness limits the minimum size of the catheter.

That has limited adoption of the technique but now Southern Lights has a thinner pericardium product which is said to have "unique" strength and composition properties.

This should help to open up catheter delivery to a wider range of patients. The replacement valve market is estimated to be worth $4.7 billion by the end of the decade.

Collagen Solutions, which has its main UK manufacturing site in Glasgow, believes the material may have other uses in different medical devices and procedures.

Stewart White, chief executive, said: "It is very pleasing to see that the US Patent Office has recognised the novel nature of SLB's processing of this new biomaterial. As this process is patented, it is now possible for us to explore licensing avenues with companies providing valve replacement bio-materials."