EXHIBIT 99.24

               Hydromer, Inc. Announces Settlement in a
                          Trade Secret Case

    BRANCHBURG, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 1, 2007--In February, 2007,
Hydromer, Inc. filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District
of New Jersey against Liou Liang Horng, a former employee, and Gelwell
Biotech Corporation, a Taiwan corporation. (civil action
07-cv-967;(AET)(TJB))

    Hydromer has asserted that Horng has violated certain employment
and consulting agreements with Hydromer and has violated Hydromer's
rights in its proprietary trade secrets by, inter alia, disclosing in
Horng patent applications Hydromer's proprietary formulations
developed during Horng's employment with Hydromer, and forming Gelwell
to commercially exploit these formulations in violation of Horng's
employment agreement. Gelwell/Horng deny personal jurisdiction in this
court and deny all allegations in the Complaint. The case has been
settled and defendants have paid Hydromer's attorney's fees and
assigned all the patent rights involved in this matter over to
Hydromer. The suit was dismissed without prejudice in light of the
settlement.

    Hydromer, Inc. is a technology-based company involved in the
research and development, manufacture and commercialization of
specialized polymer and hydrogel products for medical device,
pharmaceutical, animal health, cosmetic, personal care, and industrial
uses. For the latest information about Hydromer, Inc. and its
products, please visit our web site at http://www.hydromer.com.

    CONTACT: Hydromer, Inc.
             Robert Y. Lee, 908-722-5000
             CFO