Biodegradable Fibers Advance Drug-Eluting Stents

tel-aviv

Drug-eluting fibers from Tel Aviv University can be used to coat both metal and biodegradable stents. Image: AFTAU

The topic of much research and anticipation, biodegradable stents are a major goal for many medical device manufacturers, as is controlled release of drugs via drug-eluting stents. Contributing to the advancement of drug-eluting biodegradable stents is the development of a composite fiber-based coating technology by researchers at Tel Aviv University (Israel).Coating manufacturers have struggled with controlled release of therapeutic agents because the drugs are not soluble in water and thus do not release well, according to lead researcher Meitel Zilberman, a professor in the university's department of biomedical engineering. Her team's fiber platform, however, features a strong core coated with an eluting solution and an extremely porous construction. The porous construction is key, Zilberman notes; engineering the fiber platform to have such a large surface area for diffusion facilitates controlled release and provides what she dubs a "desired release profile."Measuring only five times the thickness of a human hair, the drug-eluting fibers dissolve after completing their preprogrammed drug-delivery task. Although this functionality is ideal for biodegradable stents, it can also be applied to metal stents, according to Zilberman. In addition to stents, the researchers believe that there may be alternate uses for the composite drug-eluting fibers in various cancer treatments.