# Biodegradable Metal Stent Alloys for Vascular Applications

> **NIH NIH R01** · OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $697,849

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the US, despite decades of
advancements in treatment, including stent coatings and anti-platelet therapies. The improvements in stent
material technology progressed from bare metal stainless steel, cobalt-chromium, and nitinol (high
thrombogenicity and high restenosis) to drug eluting polymer coated metals (lowered restenosis, but
thrombogenic) to biodegradable polymers (potential to decrease restenosis, but still thrombogenic). Despite
these incremental advances, thrombosis and in-stent restenosis all remain significant clinical obstacles, limiting
the life-saving potential of stent applications in cardiac and peripheral arteries and requiring life-long prescription
of anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapies for patients. Recently, biodegradable metals have garnered interest
for stent applications to reduce thrombosis and restenosis. Biodegradable metal vascular stents must have
sufficient mechanical strength to maintain an open lumen for at least 6 months, must be non-thrombogenic,
prevent restenosis, and degrade between 6 months and 2 years, while maintaining cytocompatibility.
Biodegradable metal stents bioresorb through corrosion by which the metal is converted to a more stable form,
such as its oxide, hydroxide or sulphide state. Initial studies of biodegradable metals like iron (Fe), magnesium
(Mg), and zinc (Zn) have shown promise in terms of mechanical properties and degradation rates. Importantly,
the degradation products of these metals are biocompatible ions which contribute to cell functions. A single metal
does not meet the requirements of a biodegradable metallic stent, yet metallic alloys and optimization of materials
processing techniques can satisfy the stringent requirements. We have established the ability to design,
manufacture, and test alloys with up to 5 metal alloying elements based on zinc and magnesium. Through our
proposed work, the impact of critical processing steps (e.g., hot extrusion, cold drawing) on material properties,
particularly microstructure, biodegradation rate, and biodegradation uniformity, will be determined. We will
quantify the biological responses of pure and alloyed biodegradable metals to determine their performance in
the vascular system, particularly emphasizing thrombosis, restenosis, and inflammatory responses to the alloyed
metals and their degraded ions. In the present proposal, our goal is to develop biodegradable metal alloys that
meet the strict mechanical and biologic requirements of vascular stents. The overall objective of this project is to
identify alloying elements and material processing requirements for biodegradable metal materials that can
suppress local thrombo-inflammatory responses by (1) developing and characterizing the mechanical, material,
and surface properties of biodegradable metal alloys and (2) establishing the biocompatibility of biodegradable
metals for vascular stent ap...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10828008
- **Project number:** 5R01HL168696-02
- **Recipient organization:** OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Jeremy Goldman
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $697,849
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-04-12 → 2027-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10828008

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10828008, Biodegradable Metal Stent Alloys for Vascular Applications (5R01HL168696-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10828008. Licensed CC0.

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