# 3D printed bioresorbable sleeve device for esophageal atresia repair

> **NIH NIH R21** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $217,463

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Congenital esophageal atresia (EA) is a potentially lethal and relatively common malformation that results in a
complete discontinuity of the esophagus. Left untreated, neonates with this condition are unable to eat, choke
on their own saliva, and eventually die from end-stage respiratory failure secondary to chronic aspiration
pneumonia. Although neonatal primary surgical repair, which restores continuity between the two ends of the
esophagus, is a life-saving operation, the procedure is technically difficult in many patients and remains fraught
with a high rate of postoperative complications, including leaks, recurrent strictures, fistulae, gastroesophageal
reflux, and chronic dysphagia. Moreover, in a subset of newborns (10%) where the gap between the two
esophageal ends measures >3 cm (long-gap EA), connecting the ends surgically is impossible, resulting in
months of hospitalization because of the need to perform highly morbid esophageal replacement procedures
and/or other complex operations. There remains a critical need for novel treatment strategies that can facilitate
better outcomes in these newborns. Our long-term goal is to develop regenerative medicine-based treatment
strategies for newborns with EA using 3D printed (3DP) elastomeric materials that can improve anastomotic
wound healing and decrease complications. The central hypothesis of this project is that the implantation of an
external scaffold sleeve made from the elastomer, poly-glycerol-dodecanedioate (PGD), and functionalized with
bioactive peptide sequences can improve esophageal anastomotic healing at the EA repair site by reducing
tension at the anastomosis and enhancing cell attachment. This proposal tests this hypothesis with two specific
aims. In Aim 1, the investigators will determine how scaffold design affects the degradation and biomechanical
properties of bioresorbable esophageal sleeves. In Aim 2, the investigators will evaluate bioresorbable
esophageal sleeves optimized for anastomotic healing in a neonatal large animal model of EA repair. Completion
of these Aims will have advanced the concept of nonlinear elastic resorbable elastomers as a novel approach to
modulate the local esophageal tissue microenvironment through cell recruitment and modulation of longitudinal
and radial forces. In addition, we anticipate that these experiments will facilitate clinical translation of 3DP device
technologies for use by pediatric surgeons in the operating room, leveraging our patient clinical experience with
tracheal devices. Finally, our approach will also have set the stage for the development of elastomeric devices
as a substrate for the generation of full-thickness segmental tissue for long-gap EA.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10574363
- **Project number:** 1R21HD110874-01
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Scott J Hollister
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $217,463
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-26 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10574363

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10574363, 3D printed bioresorbable sleeve device for esophageal atresia repair (1R21HD110874-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10574363. Licensed CC0.

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