LCL Grafts: Innovative Small Caliber Vascular Grafts for Peripheral and Coronary Bypass Procedures

Drexel University
posted on 02/05/2010

Peripheral arterial and coronary artery diseases are widespread clinical problems, accounting for more than one million vascular graft surgeries each year in the United States for PAD and >300,000 CABG procedures. To date, attempts to develop a small-bore synthetic coronary artery graft (≤ 5 mm inner diameter) have been unsuccessful largely due to thromboembolic complications (clotting), incompatible, synthetic blood-contacting graft surfaces, and/or neointimal hyperplasia originating at the sites of anastomosis between the person’s blood vessel and the graft.

Novel synthetic small vessel substitutes are needed because existing technologies for large vessel conduits cannot be reproduced for small diameter grafts, and such grafts made using the old design paradigm and materials fail at clinically unacceptable rates. To address this need, an interdisciplinary team of researchers and physicians have developed a novel synthetic vascular graft, operationally termed the “LCL Graft™”, which is a highly compliant small caliber vascular graft made of improved, oxidation-resistant polyurethane. The physical and chemical modifications to the polyurethane surface are designed to concomitantly limit thrombogenicity and enhance the attachment of endothelial cells to the graft surface. The multi-layer design and novel methods of manufacturing convey to the LCL Graft™ mechanical properties that mimic those of natural arteries. The LCL Graft™ can be stored for a long period of time and can be available to vascular surgeons as an off-the-shelf synthetic graft to be used either as is, directly from the package, or following brief seeding with endothelial cells performed immediately before implantation following a simple protocol.

LCL Graft™ can be used in a broad variety of applications, from dialysis shunts to peripheral vascular grafting for the treatment of PAD to coronary bypass grafting. We anticipate that our product will significantly improve the clinical outcomes of vascular grafting procedures.

Suggested Uses

Vascular grafting in peripheral arterial disease and coronary artery grafting (CABG) procedures, dialysis shunts.

Advantages

- Fully synthetic vascular graft that can be used as an off-the-shelf product

- highly compliant graft with mechanical properties mimicing those of natural blood vessels

- Oxydation resistant due to the use of novel proprietary materials

- Reduced thrombogenicity and enhanced endothelial cell adhesion due to unique material properties and graft surface profile

- LCL Grafts can be easily manufactured in a broad range of sizes

- Long shelf life

Innovation Details

Detailed Description

For more detailed description please visit the following website:

http://www.biomed.drexel.edu/faculty_...

and or contact the case manager, Dr. Alexey Melishchuk at Drexel University, at 215-895-0304 or email at amelishchuk@drexel.edu.

File Number: 07-0869D

Web site: http://www.biomed.drexel.edu/faculty_pages/lelk...

Disease: Cardiovascular and Circulatory System

Other Information:

The LCL Grafts is a collaborative project of biomedical engineers, physicians and scientists from Drexel University, University of Pennsylvania and the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Drexel University is has the lead in marketing and licensing of this technology.

LCL Grafts are protected by a pending patent application protecting the graft design and a number of issued patents and pending patent applications covering various aspects of the material used in the graft manufacturing, modified polyurethane.

IP Protection