Development of a bioengineered basement membrane to enhance the performance of blood-contacting devices

Descripción del proyecto

Diseño de dispositivos de contacto con la sangre más seguros

Los implantes médicos, como los cánulas y las bombas cardiacas, salvan vidas. Sin embargo, al ser reconocidos por la sangre como cuerpos extraños, los pacientes deben frecuentemente recurrir a anticoagulantes de alto riesgo para evitar la formación de coágulos peligrosos. En el proyecto HemoStratum, financiado por el Consejo Europeo de Investigación, se pretende rediseñar la interfaz de los dispositivo de contacto con la sangre. En concreto, los investigadores emplearán electrodeposición y fotolitografía para «imprimir» diminutos patrones mesoscópicos en la superficie del dispositivo. Una vez identificada la geometría de estos patrones, dichas texturas funcionarán como andamiaje, favoreciendo que las propias células endoteliales del paciente crezcan sobre el dispositivo y formen un revestimiento vivo natural, estable y organizado. Este investigación podría dar lugar al desarrollo de implantes que el organismo prácticamente ignore, evitando la formación de coágulos y la necesidad de usar fármacos de alto riesgo.

Objetivo

Each year, over 10 million of transitory and permanent blood-contacting devices are implanted worldwide, playing a crucial role in addressing cardiovascular diseases and providing life-sustaining support. However, despite their widespread use, sub-optimal biocompatibility still represents a major challenge, compromising safety, efficacy, and durability. Up to 70% of patients experience device-related hemocompatibility issues, significantly affecting their quality of life. To mitigate these risks, antithrombotic drugs are commonly prescribed, yet these systemic treatments come with severe complications, including postoperative bleeding, stroke, and hemorrhage. To address these limitations, material surface modification strategies have been explored to improve the hemocompatibility of blood-contacting devices, with a particular emphasis on promoting stable endothelialization. Among these approaches, physical modifications, such as surface patterning, are considered superior to biological and chemical functionalization because they offer a long-lasting performance, without degrading or losing functionality over time, unlike conventional surface coatings. Despite the continued interest from both industrial and academic research, there are no clinically available bioengineered substrates that integrate mesoscale and microscale surface features able to promote and maintain stable device endothelialization that can ensure long-term resistance to thrombus formation. In this proposal, we aim to optimize and validate HemoStratum, a bioengineered substrate fabricated by our proprietary processing technology. By integrating electrodeposition and photolithography, HemoStratum leverages on both microfibers and meso-patterns identified to promote endothelial cell proliferation and structural organization. This notion represents a radical innovation that can enhance hemocompatibility of a broad spectrum of blood-contacting devices while ensuring long-term stability, and durability.