Airway Malacia: Stent Innovations and Emerging Ex Vivo Testing Platforms

Tracheobronchomalacia is classified as a benign condition characterized by airway collapse resulting from weakening of the airway walls. Current treatment options range from simpler measures, such as the use of a continuous positive airway pressure machine, to more complex surgeries. Airway stents provide a middle ground in terms of treatment invasiveness and post-procedure recovery. Unfortunately, long-term implantation of stents is not clinically viable due to complications of excessive granulation tissue formation and high impedance to mucociliary clearance. Existing stent systems are not optimally designed for benign airway collapse and do not directly address these complications. Optimally designed helical stents, fabricated from both metallic and non-metallic materials, demonstrate potential to address these complications and offer a system suitable for long-term implantation. While a variety of strategies are being investigated to develop viable stent systems, there is a lack of standardized and precise stent-testing platforms. Recent progress in ex vivo tissue-based platforms shows promise of making meaningful progress in airway stent development.