Bio-Inspired Coating for Medical Devices Prevents Clotting

When blood passes through medical devices like catheters or stents, there’s a risk of clots forming, which can be harmful. A newly developed coating, inspired by biological processes, could prevent this without the need for blood-thinning drugs.

How Blood Forms Clots on Foreign Materials

When blood encounters a foreign material, proteins in the plasma activate and form a clot around it to isolate the material. In devices like dialysis machines, these clots can obstruct function or, if dislodged, pose serious health risks like stroke.

To counteract this, doctors often prescribe blood thinners to reduce clot formation. However, these drugs carry risks, including the potential for severe bleeding.

Some researchers have developed anti-fouling coatings that repel plasma proteins to keep them from contacting synthetic surfaces. But, according to Dr. Jayachandran Kizhakkedathu of the University of British Columbia, these coatings can still allow clots to form in certain conditions.

With this challenge in mind, Kizhakkedathu’s team created a “selective protein interacting” (SPI) coating, designed to mimic the natural lining of blood vessels. This polymer-based coating includes surface-bound molecules that interact with a plasma protein called factor XII. While these molecules engage with the protein, they prevent it from transforming into its clot-inducing form.

Tests showed promising results: human blood on coated glass took over an hour to clot, compared to just 10 minutes on untreated glass. In rabbits, shunts coated with SPI also delayed clot formation significantly. Once the blood was no longer exposed to the coating, its ability to clot returned to normal.

“This innovation could be a groundbreaking advance in making medical devices safer,” Kizhakkedathu explains. “Our coating replicates the body’s own methods for preventing clots, potentially reducing the need for blood thinners around device use.”

Further research will focus on how the coating interacts with other blood proteins and cells. The findings were recently published in Nature Materials.

Read the original article on: New Atlas

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