The new invention utilizes a new coating to prevent clotting and infection in synthetic vascular grafts, while also accelerating the body’s own process for integrating the grafted vessels. Synthetic materials currently used in vascular grafts can be problematic because their surface properties and texture can collect cells and initiate blood clotting, a risk which requires patients to use anti-coagulant drugs such as warfarin for long periods. The new coated surfaces repel non-desirable elements in the blood: infections and clotting. The components used in the material have already been approved for use in humans, which is expected to shorten the process for getting the new material approved for use in clinical settings. We collaborated with Jeffrey Weitz of the Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute and McMaster chemical engineer Zeinab Hosseini-Doust to test the new material in lab experiments using human tissue.
