This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I research research project aims to develop a polymer system for drug eluting coronary stents (DES). The material is expected to provide higher drug loading with a controlled drug release profile, as well as tunable mechanical properties over the lifetime of the stent. This will be accomplished using block terpolymers of specific composition to which drug molecules will be covalently attached. Recent advances in DES technology have increased the success rate of CHD treatment; however, restenosis (re-blockage of the artery through the stent) occurs in 10% of the implanted stents. Also currently available drug eluting coatings deliver the bulk of the loaded drug within the first 48 hours of stent placement, with little to no delivery after 30 days. Thus a new type of stent that can overcome the limitations of current stents would be of significant value.
