Novel Nanomatrix Coating Promotes Implant Acceptance

Scientists at the University of Alabama (UAB; Birmingham) have developed a new coating technology that could enhance the long-term performance of medical implant devices such as heart valves and cardiac stents. Capable of mimicking natural endothelium, the substance that lines blood vessels, the patent-pending bionanomatrix coating can help prevent the postoperative tissue scarring that can cause thrombosis. The nanomatrix's inventors claim that it is the only coating of its kind, although similar technologies are in development.

"By mimicking natural endothelium, the nanomatrix coating essentially transforms injured blood vessels to a healthy condition at implant sites, and it has great potential for many applications," remarks Ho-Wook Jun, UAB assistant professor of biomedical engineering and coinventor of the technology.

"Implanted devices, such as stents, prosthetic heart valves, vascular grafts, and indwelling catheters, have revolutionized patient care," says coinventor Brigitta Brott, a UAB associate professor of medicine. "By improving the body's acceptance of these devices to reduce blood-clot formation and scar-tissue growth, we will greatly improve the quality of life for patients and also potentially drive down health-care costs by reducing the need for follow-up procedures."

The bionanomatrix, developed with other interdisciplinary researchers from the UAB schools of medicine and engineering, has been licensed by the UAB Research Foundation to Endomimetics LLC, a UAB spin-out founded by Jun and Brott.