Aortic aneurysms can be treated using endovascular stent grafts, offering a minimally invasive treatment. However, complications can affect treatment outcomes. A new regional partnership project aims to develop a biologically enhanced endovascular stent that improves the interaction between the stent and the surrounding vessel wall to prevent complication.
Endovascular stent grafts are designed to exclude an aneurysm from the bloodstream by creating a new pathway through the vessel. For successful treatment, the stent graft needs to remain securely positioned and form an effective seal with the vessel wall. Complications such as stent migration and endoleaks can occur when this interaction is insufficient. The project aims to address these challenges by modifying the surface of the stent to stimulate adhesion of cells to the material and promote a more stable interaction with the surrounding tissue.
By combining expertise in biomaterials, surface modification and biomedical research, the project will investigate how changes to the stent surface can influence its biological performance. The ultimate goal is to develop a biologically enhanced stent graft that can improve long-term treatment outcomes for patients with cardiovascular aneurysms.
The project is being carried out through a collaboration between BiomACS B.V., a start-up with expertise in biomaterial and high-throughput screening, UMCG Department of Biomaterials & Biomedical Technology, and the UMCG Surgical Department bringing together clinical, scientific and technological expertise in the Northern Netherlands.
The project uses an existing endovascular stent graft as the basis for the development and investigates how targeted surface modifications can influence the interaction between the stent and the vessel wall. The collaboration aims to bridge fundamental research and technological development, creating a pathway towards the next generation of biologically enhanced medical devices.
The project is made possible by the Just Transition Fund Groningen-Emmen. The fund is co-financed by the European Union and the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and is made available by the regional funding agency Samenwerkingsverband Noord-Nederland (SNN).
