A molecular approach to treating heart disease

Angioplasty to inflate the vein or artery, accompanied 80% of the time by the insertion of a stent to maintain the wider passageway, has greatly reduced deaths due to heart disease.

Dr. Tabrizian and her team are using biomaterials such as polyelectrolytes, which are basically sugars, as lubricant coating and vehicles to deliver drugs and other substances directly on the stent. Because stents aren't used in all procedures, the team is also using the same principle to treat the surface of the arterial wall, delivering the biomaterials by perforated catheter.

Through her layer-by-layer assembly model, Dr. Tabrizian can deliver multiple substances, including anti-coagulant drugs, directly where they are needed. As a result, patients don't have to take the drugs themselves and the drugs are not generalized to all blood throughout the body. Other drugs, such as vascular growth factors that promote the formation of the first smooth cell layer, can also be delivered in this way. Among many other potential applications, a contrast agent can be introduced so physicians can monitor the stent once inserted in the patient's body.

"Cardiovascular disease is a multifactoral problem," says Dr. Tabrizian. "The versatility of this application means we can address many questions at the same time."