# Elastic, Degradable Vascular Grafts with Helical Microfibers

> **NIH NIH R01** · CORNELL UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $683,293

## Abstract

Elastic, Degradable Vascular Grafts with Helical Microfibers
 When an artery occludes, rerouting blood flow with a vascular graft can save lives or limbs.
Autologous grafts are the preferred conduit for replacing small-diameter vessels. However, not all
patients have suitable donor vessels, and the wound healing complications associated with the
harvest can be severe. Synthetic grafts can be used but the foreign material does not degrade or
integrate with the host, leading to graft failure and risk of infection. These grafts function best in
large caliber arterial reconstruction but perform poorly in smaller arteries such as in the coronary
and below the knee arteries. We will overcome this challenge by using a degradable graft made of
elastomeric microfibers arranged in helices mimicking extracellular matrix fibers in the artery. Our
preliminary data in rats show these grafts remodel into compliant, elastic vascular conduits
resembling the native arteries. The proposed research will address two key questions for clinical
translation: 1) will host cells fully populate the long grafts needed for human applications and 2)
will the same transformation occur in aged patients and those with systemic diseases such as
diabetes? Correspondingly, Specific Aim 1 will investigate host remodeling of 7-inch-long
interposition grafts in a sheep carotid artery. Aim 2 will assess graft remodeling in Zucker Diabetic
Sprague-Dawley rats, a new polygenetic model of Type 2 diabetes. Aim 3 will evaluate the
effectiveness of controlled release of cytokines in the graft to overcome the limitations caused by
aging. Upon completion of this project, we expect to have a graft design ready for clinical
translation. The knowledge gained will have impact beyond vascular substitutes in the
development of other cardiovascular devices.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10463745
- **Project number:** 5R01HL159427-02
- **Recipient organization:** CORNELL UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Edith Tzeng
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $683,293
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-08-15 → 2025-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10463745

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10463745, Elastic, Degradable Vascular Grafts with Helical Microfibers (5R01HL159427-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10463745. Licensed CC0.

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