An injectable shear-thinning biomaterial for endovascular embolization

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Vascular Surgery
• Medical Engineering

Background:

• Current embolic materials for vascular conditions have limitations including complications like bleeding, migration, and toxicity.
• Metallic coils are the gold standard but have associated drawbacks.
• There is a need for advanced embolic agents with improved safety and efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer and evaluate a novel shear-thinning biomaterial (STB) as an endovascular embolic agent.
• To assess the STB's injectability, hemostatic activity, stability, and occlusion capabilities.
• To compare STB performance against metallic coils and evaluate its potential in patients with coagulopathies.

Main Methods:

• Development of a nanocomposite hydrogel (gelatin and silicate nanoplatelets) engineered for shear-thinning properties.
• In vitro testing of injectability, hemostatic activity, and mechanical stability under physiological pressures.
• Ex vivo and in vivo studies in explant vessels and animal models (murine, porcine) using computed tomography imaging for occlusion assessment.

Main Results:

• The STB is injectable through clinical catheters and demonstrates hemostatic activity comparable to metallic coils.
• STBs exhibit stability, resisting fragmentation and displacement in vitro and ex vivo.
• In vivo studies confirmed full vascular occlusion in murine and porcine models without fragmentation or nontarget embolization, independent of intrinsic thrombosis.

Conclusions:

• The engineered shear-thinning biomaterial (STB) is a viable alternative embolic agent for endovascular procedures.
• STBs offer advantages such as rapid delivery, in vivo stability, and occlusion independent of thrombosis.
• This gel-based agent shows significant translational potential for improving patient outcomes in endovascular embolization.