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A Dual-Crosslinked Metallo-elastomer Platform for Architecture-Directed Vascular Remodeling
Narangerel Gantumur1,2, Shuhao Jiao1,2, Xiaochu Ding3,4
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering, Rowan University, 201 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro, NJ 08028 USA.
Advanced Fiber Materials
|August 14, 2026
Summary
Engineered dual-crosslinked metallo-elastomer vascular grafts show promise for arterial reconstruction. Electrowritten grafts maintained patency and dimensional stability, supporting tissue regeneration in rats.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Engineering
- Polymer Chemistry
- Vascular Tissue Engineering
Background:
- Small-diameter vascular graft engineering faces challenges in balancing mechanical properties, degradation, and scaffold architecture.
- Existing materials often struggle to meet the complex demands of vascular reconstruction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a programmable dual-crosslinked metallo-elastomer platform (M-PBIS) for advanced vascular grafts.
- To investigate the impact of scaffold architecture on vascular remodeling and graft performance.
Main Methods:
- Synthesized M-PBIS polymers via step-growth polyesterification, enabling tunable mechanical and degradation properties.
- Fabricated small-diameter grafts using electrowriting with circumferentially-biased fibers and PMMA-templated porous structures.
- Evaluated graft performance in a rat carotid artery interposition model for 21 weeks.
Main Results:
- M-PBIS demonstrated tunable mechanical properties (modulus, extensibility, toughness) and controlled degradation.
- Electrowritten Zn-PBIS grafts maintained patency and dimensional stability, promoting organized tissue integration.
- PMMA-templated porous grafts showed progressive dilation and instability during remodeling.
Conclusions:
- Dual-crosslinked metallo-elastomers with biomimetic fiber architecture create mechanically resilient and biologically adaptive vascular grafts.
- M-PBIS is a manufacturable platform for resorbable arterial reconstruction and soft-tissue applications.
- Electrowritten circumferentially-biased scaffolds are superior to porous scaffolds for vascular graft remodeling.
