Nanofibrous biocomposite prosthetic vascular graft

Inventors

Phaneuf, Matthew D. • Brown, Philip J. • Bide, Martin J.

Assignees

Rhode Island Board of Education • Clemson University • Biosurfaces Inc

Abstract

The present invention provides a bioactive, small-diameter (typically less than 6 mm in internal diameter) vascular graft prosthesis, and is a textile conduit preferably manufactured using a novel electrospinning perfusion methodology. One preferred embodiment is a nanofibrous biocomposite textile conduit which comprises a prepared liquid admixture of polyester (Dacron), a biodurable implantable synthetic polymer, and Type IV collagen, an extracellular matrix protein. This prepared admixture and blending of diverse fibrous matter is utilized in a novel electrospinning perfusion process to form a small-diameter (less than 6 mm) fabricated textile conduit, a discrete article of manufacture, which then serves as an antecedent tangible workpiece for a subsequently-made prosthetic vascular graft construct.

Core Innovation

The invention relates to a small diameter textile conduit made from an electrospinning perfusion process. The conduit is a non-perforated hollow tube existing as an electrospun nanofibrous biocomposite material generated from a fluid admixture of at least one biodurable synthetic substance and at least one extracellular matrix protein. The electrospun hollow tube presents a single nanofibrous material wall comprised of discrete fibers and provides two open ends with an internal lumen less than about 6 millimeters in diameter.

The biocomposite wall includes biodurable synthetic fibers and extracellular matrix protein fibers present primarily as different fiber diameters, with the biodurable synthetic substance present primarily as 10^-8 meter diameter fibers and the extracellular matrix protein present primarily as 10^-9 meter diameter fibers. The conduit presents a discrete interior wall surface and an exterior wall surface, and the internal wall surface is biocompatible for the conveyance of blood through the internal lumen.

A central aspect is functionalization of the electrospun textile conduit with at least one biologically active compound. The compound is permanently bound to the wall surfaces of the electrospun textile conduit and has recognized biologically active properties for mediating the conveyance of blood through the internal lumen.

In the method, a bifunctional linking agent is combined with the pre-chosen biologically active compound to generate an intermediate complex, and the intermediate complex is reactively added to the fabricated textile conduit such that the active compound becomes permanently bound to the wall surfaces while retaining recognized biologically active properties for mediating conveyance of blood in-vivo. The invention is further directed to prosthetic vascular graft constructs and related antecedent workpieces in which the conduit serves as a tangible workpiece for manufacturing a prosthetic vascular graft construct useful as a synthetic blood vessel in-vivo.

Claims Coverage

The partial record includes four independent claims covering a total of four inventive features. Across these claims, the coverage centers on an electrospun nanofibrous biocomposite textile conduit with a non-perforated hollow single-wall structure and controlled lumen size, together with permanent immobilization of biologically active compounds via a bifunctional linking agent.

Across the independent claims, the coverage is centered on an electrospun, non-perforated, elongated hollow single-wall nanofibrous biocomposite textile conduit with a biocompatible interior wall surface for blood conveyance, and on prosthetic constructs and manufacturing methods in which at least one pre-chosen biologically active compound is permanently bound to the conduit wall surfaces via a bifunctional linking agent while retaining recognized biologically active properties for mediating in-vivo blood conveyance.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications