Application of Platform for the Development and Optimization of Fully Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold Designs.

Bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS), made either from polymers or from metals, are promising materials for treating coronary artery disease through the processes of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. Despite the opinion that bioresorbable polymers are more promising for coronary stents, their long-term advantages over metallic alloys have not yet been demonstrated. The development of new polymer-based BVS or optimization of the existing ones requires engineers to perform many very expensive mechanical tests to identify optimal structural geometry and material characteristics.

In vitro and in silico testing of partially and fully bioresorbable vascular scaffold.

Coronary artery disease (CAD), one of the leading causes of death globally, occurs due to the growth of atherosclerotic plaques in the coronary arteries, causing lesions which restrict the flow of blood to the myocardium. Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), including balloon angioplasty and coronary stent deployment is a standard clinical invasive treatment for CAD. Coronary stents are delivered using a balloon catheter inserted across the lesion.

Smeared Multiscale Finite Element Models for Mass Transport and Electrophysiology Coupled to Muscle Mechanics.

Mass transport represents the most fundamental process in living organisms. It includes delivery of nutrients, oxygen, drugs, and other substances from the vascular system to tissue and transport of waste and other products from cells back to vascular and lymphatic network and organs. Furthermore, movement is achieved by mechanical forces generated by muscles in coordination with the nervous system.