Atlanta, GA - The first of the next generation of coronary stents received patent and trademark notices perhaps paving the way for improved treatment results. CV Therapeutics (Palo Alto, CA), received Notices of Allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the European Patient Offices for its proprietary biopolymer stent coating technology in October.
Preclinical studies at Saint Joseph’s Research Institute (SJRI) in Atlanta suggest that CV Therapeutics’ stent coating technology could improve the performance of stents coated with drugs, including paclitaxel or rapamycin, since its polymer is completely bioerodible, adheres tightly to the stent metal and can be tailored for precise release into the coronary arteries. Currently, there are concerns about commercially available drug-eluting stents with permanent polymers that can entrap drugs indefinitely: there appears to be increased risk of late stent thrombosis with these devices.
"We are particularly excited about the CV Therapeutics polymer which has excellent biocompatibility and many other desirable characteristics that will help improve drug-eluting stent technology for the future,” says Keith Robinson, Ph.D. and director of pre-clinical sciences at SJRI. “SJRI personnel have been involved with the research and development of a number of drug-eluting stents, including the FDA-approved devices (Boston Scientific’s Taxus® and J&J’s Cypher®), as well as a number of the experimental, newer generation devices that are currently under investigation.”
With the erosion of positive long term data for drug eluting stents, Saint Joseph’s Research Institute continues working with a number of ongoing studies for second and third generation stents.Stents are small metal tube-shaped devices used to prop open an artery during angioplasty. Stents with drugs in the coating – drug eluting stents – have been shown to reduce the frequency of restenois (re-narrowing of the vessel after the stent has been implanted).
SJRI has extensive experience in class III medical device research, offers academic and industry-sponsored research and physician training by a staff comprised of scientists, physicians and health care professionals.
About Saint Joseph’s Research Institute
Saint Joseph’s Research Institute (SJRI), a subsidiary of Saint Joseph’s Hospital, offers a bench to bedside continuum applying preclinical knowledge to clinical research; translating scientific discoveries into modern therapeutics and offering patients potentially life-saving treatments faster.
