Nano@Tech Virtual:  Nitric Oxide Releasing Materials for Prevention of Thrombosis and Infection of Medical Devices

Hitesh Handa, Assistant Professor
School of Chemical, Materials, and Biomedical Engineering
University of Georgia

Abstract: Blood/material interaction is critical to the success of implantable medical devices, ranging from simple catheters, stents and grafts, to complex extracorporeal artificial organs which are used in thousands of patients every day.  There are two major limiting factors to clinical application of blood contacting materials: 1) platelet activation leading to thrombosis, and 2) infection.  Despite a thorough understanding of the mechanisms of blood–surface interactions, and decades of bioengineering research effort, the ideal non-thrombogenic prosthetic surface remains an unsolved problem.  One approach to improving the hemocompatibility of blood-contacting devices is to develop materials that release nitric oxide (NO), a known potent inhibitor of platelet adhesion/activation and also an antimicrobial agent.  Healthy endothelial cells exhibit a NO flux of 0.5-4x10-10 mol cm-2 min-1, and materials that mimic this NO release are expected to have similar anti-thrombotic properties.  The potential of incorporating NO donor molecules such as S-nitrosothiols (RSNOs) into various polymers, and their hemocompatibility and antibacterial properties in short-term (4 h) and long-term (9 d) animal models will be discussed

Bio: Dr. Hitesh Handa is a faculty member in the School of Chemical, Materials and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Georgia.  Dr. Handa's area of focus is in translational research for development of medical device coatings, wound healing materials, therapeutic nanoparticles, and microfluidic artificial lungs.   This work in designing innovative materials and testing them in animal models has resulted in over 70 publications and 12 patent applications.  Hitesh’s work has been funded by NIH, CDC, Department of Veteran Affairs, US Army, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, Geneva Foundation, and industrial grants. Hitesh is also the founder of inNOveta Biomedical LLC which is exploring possibilities of using nitric oxide releasing materials for medical applications. With his experience in biomolecular interactions, materials/surface science, polymeric coatings, blood-surface interactions and animal models, his goal is to bridge the gap between the engineers and clinical researchers in the field of biocompatible materials.