Nanoparticle Coating to Increase Biliary Stent Patency

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Biliary stenting is a common practice to relieve the symptoms of jaundice due to an obstruction of the bile duct. In this procedure, a metal or plastic stent is placed endoscopically in the bile duct to restore bile flow and subsequently, relieve jaundice. Although these stents provide relief of symptoms for 90% of the patients who receive them, the major complication of the technique is late stent blockage, due to bacterial biofilm and biliary sludge deposition. As bacteria attach to the surface of the stent and begin to form a biofilm, the lumen inevitably becomes occluded and recurrent biliary obstruction occurs. This proposal concerns the development of a new coating for polyethylene biliary stents to improve their patency, reducing complications and numerous hospital stays for patients with obstructive jaundice. Lynntech proposes an ultrasmooth coating which will ultimately delay bacterial adhesion and the encrustation of amorphous material which leads to recurrent obstruction of the stent. The novel approach stems from Lynntech's revolutionary method for depositing nanoparticles onto metal or plastic surfaces, in this case quasicrystals onto polyethylene biliary stents. It is anticipated that the economic quasicrystal coating will improve polyethylene stent patency while retaining their desirable properties such as low cost and ease of insertion and removal, properties not inherent in most metal stents.