Hard graft

Virginia Commonwealth Universityengineers and scientists have developed a new material that may one day help patients with damaged arteries regenerate new ones.

In the June issue of the journal Biomedical Materials, researchers reported the design and fabrication of a new material to be used for vascular grafts that in the future could ultimately be implanted in patients undergoing coronary artery graft surgery.

The material is a blend of polydioxanone (PDO), a synthetic biodegradable polymer that has been used in suture materials for years, and elastin fibres, used to enhance elasticity and bioactivity of the graft. Elastin, a natural polymer, is also a major component of the arterial wall and is critical to the graft in providing a base for the cells to recognize and interact with the body. Using a technique known as electrospinning, researchers were able to manipulate the PDO-elastin composite into a conduit, or hose, for use as a small diameter vascular graft.