The research team used polymer as a base material to 3D print a stent. (image: Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials)
DAEJEON, Aug. 14 (Korea Bizwire) — A South Korean research team has developed a new biodegradable stent that naturally dissolves within the human body.
It is composed of a unique material which became the world’s first to pass a pre-clinical trial.
The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials in Daejeon announced on Tuesday that its research team has developed a biodegradable polymer stent using 3D bioprinting technology.
A stent is a tube that is inserted into blood vessels to keep the passageway open. It is commonly used to treat angina pectoris and other cardiovascular diseases.
Normally, a stent is composed of metal substances that can cause erosion or injury within the human body.
Other cases include blood clots stacking up on the metal stent, resulting in narrower passageways or various types of inflammation.
The research team used polymer as a base material to 3D print a stent. The team explained that 3D bioprinting can create stents with structures closely tailored to the needs of the patients within a short period of time.
The stent is coated with heparin, a biofriendly substance that is widely used to prevent blood from clotting.
Various kinds of drugs can be added to the new stent to control the amount of blood cells that attach to the stent, or use it as a means for delivering various pharmaceuticals into the human body.
The research team, jointly with Chonnam National University Hospital in Gwangju, successfully completed a pre-clinical trial.
“For the first time in the world, we have now confirmed through animal testing that the biodegradable, heparin-coated polymer stent we’ve created through 3D bioprinting is indeed effective,” said the research team.
The research was published in the July edition of “Chemical Engineering Journal.”
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
