AKRON, Ohio- University of Akron professor Matthew Becker has been awarded a $2 million grant from Ohio's Third Frontier Commission to commercialize a non-opiate degradable polymer mesh designed to control post-surgical pain while helping patients avoid potential addiction to pain pills.

He is working with 21MedTech and pharmaceutical company Merck & Co., Inc.on the project.

The grant is the largest given to a higher education institution as part of the Third Frontier Commission effort combating the opioid crisis, UA said.

In his research, Becker, the W. Gerald Austen Endowed Chair in Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering, has developed an implantable polymer mesh containing a local non-opiate pain reliever that can be inserted at a surgery site, the university said.

The mesh releases the pain reliever over time and finally dissolves into the body while remaining non-toxic. The mesh reduces the number of opioid prescriptions and the amount of unused painkillers available on the streets, the university said.

Becker and 21MedTech, a medical technologies company, have licensed the degradable polymer technology. They hope the Food and Drug Administration will evaluate the product for use next year. Merck & Co. is partnering with UA and 21MedTech on the mesh project.

"This polymer product isn't a one-size-fits-all solution to the nation's ongoing opiate epidemic," Becker said in a statement. "A relatively small percentage of patients using painkillers long-term have serious addiction problems. This mesh would give physicians a method to control pain while serving as a proactive approach to preventing people who have surgeries from potentially having issues with painkillers in the first place."

Grants totaling $10 million, including $1.9 million to businesses and institutions in Cuyahoga County, have been awarded by the Third Frontier Commission to support scientific breakthroughs to solve the national opioid crisis.

The funds awarded are part of a $20 million commitment the state is making to fight opioid abuse through new solutions and technology.