# Drug Eluting Embolization Coils for Improved Treatment of Intracranial Aneurysms

> **NIH NIH R44** · ANCURE, LLC · 2020 · $461,751

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Brain aneurysms are a high-risk condition in which bulging blood vessels in the brain are at risk of rupture. The
mortality rate after rupture is 40-60% if no treatment is administered. Current treatment for both ruptured and
unruptured aneurysms includes surgical clipping (exovascular therapy) and catheter-based intervention
(endovascular therapy). In endovascular therapy, which is the focus of this work, platinum coils are inserted
into the aneurysm to induce clotting and exclude the aneurysm from circulation. The primary challenge
associated with endovascular aneurysm therapy is the risk of aneurysm recurrence due to mechanical
compaction and enzymatic digestion of the clot in the aneurysm sac. Recurrence in intracranial aneurysms
elevates the risk of hemorrhagic stroke. This proposal will evaluate the safety and efficacy of a drug-eluting coil
to improve outcomes when treating intracranial aneurysms prophylactically. We posit that sustained release of
naturally occurring crosslinking agents delivered from drug-eluting endovascular coils will increase the
mechanical robustness of the clots, reduce fibrinolysis, and ultimately reduce the risk of recurrence. Clots with
increased chemo-mechanical stability will resist failure modes associated with coil compaction and enzymatic
degradation. The safety and efficacy of genipin-eluting coils will be evaluated in animal models that are
clinically relevant and mimic the anatomy of defects in humans. The safety and efficacy of genipin-eluting coils
will be evaluated as a function of dosing and delivery kinetics. In vitro efficacy will be measured using a
simulated coiled aneurysm in a model aneurysm sac operating under perfusion. In vivo experiments will be
performed using a rabbit elastase aneurysm model. Efficacy will be quantified by angiography, histology, and
chemo-mechanical measurements of thrombus in the aneurysms. This project will ultimately measure the in
vivo safety and efficacy of drug-eluting coils as a potentially superior technology to treat unruptured
anuerysms. Follow-on clinical studies in humans will further establish the safety and efficacy of genipin-eluting
embolization coils. Drug-eluting coils have the potential to transform the treatment of unruptured intracranial
aneurysms and dramatically reduce the risk of hemorrhagic stroke.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10020203
- **Project number:** 5R44NS107111-03
- **Recipient organization:** ANCURE, LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** Christopher John Bettinger
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $461,751
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-30 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10020203

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10020203, Drug Eluting Embolization Coils for Improved Treatment of Intracranial Aneurysms (5R44NS107111-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10020203. Licensed CC0.

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