Development of 3D-Printed Piezoelectric Stents with Self-Powered Anti-Restenosis Properties

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is common among older Americans. PAD is caused by fatty plaques that reduce blood flow to the limbs, causing limb amputation and even death. Doctors treat patients with severe PAD by inserting a small wire mesh tube called stent into the diseased artery to reopen the vessel. Drugs are usually added to the stents to prevent cells sticking to and growing on top of the inserted stents. However, clinical trials showed the PAD patients treated with drug-containing stents died at a much higher rate than the group treated with stents without drugs. To solve this clinical problem, this project seeks to propose a stent that has self-generated  electrical potential that can resist cell buildup without needing drugs. The purpose of this pilot grant is to fabricate the newly designed stents by 3D printing and demonstrate their bio-compatibility and anti-cell buildup properties through ex vivo cell studies. The implantation of stents will be validated on pig models.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Bo Liu, professor of surgery

 

CO-PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Xudong Wang, professor of materials science and engineering

 

CO-INVESTIGATORS

Timothy Hacker, senior scientist for the UW–Madison Department of Medicine

Courtney Morgan, assistant professor of surgery