Blood vessel-like coating could make medical devices safer for patients

Medical Xpress November 12, 2024
University of British Columbia

University of B.C. researchers have developed a coating that could make medical devices safer for millions of patients, reducing the risks associated with blood clots and dangerous bleeding. The work has been published in Nature Materials.

The new material, designed to mimic the natural behavior of blood vessels, could allow for safer use of blood-contacting devices like catheters, stents, blood-oxygenation machines and dialysis machines—especially in cases where blood clots are a significant concern.

“This discovery could be a transformative step in the development of safer medical devices,” said Dr. Jayachandran Kizhakkedathu, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Immunomodulation Materials and Immunotherapy who led the study out of the Center for Blood Research...