COATING · COATING - slippery wires: revolutionizing COronAry sTentING

COATING aims at developing cutting-edge technology for the reduction of stent thrombosis and restenosis events, based on a multidisciplinary approach linking fluid mechanics and biomedical engineering. Principles of fluid mechanics will be combined with nanotechnology to advance our understanding of the physics of drag reduction and exploit this to establish a novel biomedical engineering application. The nanotechnology is based on magnetorheological fluids, also called ferrofluids (FFs). Specifically, FFs will be used as a lubricant for the reduction of harmful wall shear stresses generated at the coronary stent surface. The objectives are, firstly, to evaluate the performance in terms of magnetoviscous effects of various biocompatible FFs varying shear and magnetic field strength. Secondly, we will evaluate the FF-based drag reduction by performing extensive FF-coated pipe flow experiments. Finally, we will evaluate the efficiency of the novel drag reduction technique in stents in vitro. The project will be hosted at WSL, Switzerland, which is part of the ETH domain, a world leading and closely cooperating network of research institutes, and will be integrated in a young and dynamic research group, offering a cutting-edge laboratory and excellent opportunities for career development.The proposed technology strives to complement or even replace adjunctive pharmacological treatments usually adopted after stent implantation, which often have significant harmful side effects. It has the potential to improve the quality of life of the millions of patients worldwide that undergo coronary stenting each year, and to provide a new solution for patients in which pharmacological therapies cannot be prescribed. Finally, the project results are also expected to foster other applications of FFs in the bio-engineering medical field and to develop a new drag reduction technology applicable in other research areas (e.g., oil pipe industries) that seek to reduce energy consumption.