Bioreabsorbable Stents

Project Description: This project was an element to a module titled “Materials for Biological Applications” at The University of Sheffield. This project first looked at stents currently being used for coronary artery disease, the challenges these devices have leading up to designing a novel stent.

Project Overview: This project not only explores on-the-market stents but also considers the disease pathology of coronary artery disease. This project has unique challenges because the material used must be biocompatible, manufacturable but also must be able to withstand the stress and strain on the device during the procedure to place the stent.

A hypothetical novel design includes fusible smaller building blocks that are able to be customized to the needs of the patient. Building blocks would come in 3 different sizes and can be combined in numerous different patterns. This varies from current on-the-market devices as they are premanufactured in limited sizes. Additionally, these building blocks are unique in the fact that they have an elastic component that recoils at the internal temp of the artery, therefore it pulls the stent into a new mechanical configuration. All building blocks are drug eluting, therefore as the plaque degrades, and the elastic recoils, these stents are then fully dilated. Furthermore, the stent biodegrades naturally over time.