Cardiovascular stent could improve surgical outcomes

Scientists at National University of Ireland Galway are to lead a €1.2m (£964,585) EU project to reduce the re-narrowing of arteries and the need for further interventions through the development of novel cardiovascular stent materials.

National University of Ireland Galway’s Network of Excellence for Functional Biomaterials (NFB), a Science Foundation Ireland-funded strategic research cluster, and the university’s microbiology department will head the four-year project.

‘About half of all deaths from cardiovascular diseases are due to coronary artery disease, which occurs when the coronary arteries become hardened and narrowed due to the build-up of plaques on their inner walls or lining,’ said National University of Ireland Galway microbiologist Dr Gerard Wall, who is leading the project.

‘Our plan is to create a new type of coating on the stents using human antibody fragments,’ said Wall in a statement. ‘Once the stent is in place, we hope these antibodies will attract a layer of the patient’s own epithelial cells. This should effectively camouflage the stent as far as the body is concerned, and it will no longer be such a foreign object. Our theory is that this will reduce the potential for rejection and the level of clot build-up and also significantly improve the long-term outcome of surgical interventions.’