New biodegradable artery graft for bypass surgeries shows promise

A new type of cell-free, biodegradable artery graft has been developed by the University of Pittsburgh and trialled with encouraging results.

The new graft eschews the cell-centered approaches in tissue engineering of blood vessels and instead aims to harness the body's regenerative capacity, with the device being created using the easily resorbed elastic polymer called PGS.

Grafts as small as 1mm in diameter were created that offered high porosity, allowing patients to benefit from regenerated arteries with no remaining trace of synthetic graft materials within 90 days of surgery.

The researchers expect that the time taken to regenerate arteries can be cut further as the system is refined.

Principal investigator Yadong Wang said: "This report is the first that shows a nearly complete transformation of a synthetic plastic tube to a new host artery with excellent integration within three months."

Around 28,000 coronary artery bypass procedures are performed in the UK each year, with NHS data showing that nearly 80 percent of recipients are men over the age of 60.