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Examples of such research include the classical mussel adhesion and lotus leaf super-hydrophobicity.
In Dr. Venkatramans’ group, the process is reversed. By defining the medical problem to be solved and exploring bio-inspired solutions to the problem, the “solution” may be a material or design. One early example of this approach was carried out by Japanese researchers in 2011, on how a mosquito draws blood from humans, and adapted that approach to devising a “painless” injection needle.
An example will be presented of a small-diameter blood vessel that mimics the native artery mechanically. Small-diameter (diameter < 6 mm) blood vessels are needed for bypassing blocked arteries, in the heart or in the leg. However, when synthetic materials (such as PTFE, Teflon®) are used to construct these artificial blood vessels, the vessel gets blocked again within a year or two. This is due mainly to what is called “compliance mismatch” between PTFE and the native artery. A design that was inspired by the human artery to match its dynamic mechanical behavior more closely was developed using materials that mimic elastin (low pressure response) and collagen (higher pressure response) properties.
Dr. Venkatraman’s group has explored the use of biodegradable polymers and copolymers to act as conduits that mechanically match the performance of the arterial wall. The custom-built apparatus used for measuring both static and dynamic compliances at physiological (blood) pressures will be discussed, in addition to the final materials choice based on the ideal mechanical property profile.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomimetics
Speaker Background: Professor Subbu Venkatraman has a PhD in Polymer Chemistry from Carnegie-Mellon University. Dr. Venkatraman has spent about 15 years in biomedical R&D in the USA, working with various applications of polymeric biomaterials. He held a senior position in R&D at Alza Corporation prior to joining NTU as Associate Professor in 2000. Since then he has published extensively in the field of biomaterials, with a total of 240 publications, H-index of 41 and a citation count of 6500 He also holds 88 granted patents from a total of 171 applications. His work in biomaterials has led to 3 successful spin-off companies, with one of them (Amaranth Medical) obtaining substantial series C funding. He has also received the 2014 President’s Technology Award together with Prof Freddy Boey and Adjunct A/P Tina Wong, for their innovative application of nanostructures and novel drug delivery approach to combat blindness from glaucoma. He is also the co-founder of Peregrine Ophthlamic Pte Ltd (http://www.peregrineophthalmic.com/) and Amaranth Medical Pte Ltd (http://www.amaranthmedical.com/).
His research group is interested in designing and modifying polymers for biomedical applications. In this work, they are closely associated with local hospitals and researchers, including the National Heart Centre, Tan Tock Seng Hospital and the National Cancer Centre. Current interests include the following:
- Nanomedicine
- Localized drug/gene delivery
- Biodegradable Stents and Occluders
- Injectable implants and nanoparticles
- Hemocompatibilization of polymers
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Event Information
Event Topic:
Bio-Inspired Polymers and Systems to Solve Long-Standing Medical Problems: Small-Diameter Blood Vessels
Event Description:
Date/Time:
Date(s) - 08/15/19
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
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Other:
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