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Cardiothoracic Disease is one of the leading killers of middle-aged adults in the U.S. and Europe. Recent problems with drug-eluting stint technologies, has highlighted how little control we have over diseases of the heart and vasculature. Novel new approaches to blood-materials interactions, and tissue regeneration within the body is now making it posisble to tune the tables on CT disease. The Nanotech Center, together with our colleagues at WFUBMC have a focused program in CT disease.
Our current projects include:
- Targeting disruptive plaques, reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke
- Stint Research, coating systems that make stints last long and make them safer
- Pressure measurements but nanosensors that can be used to diagnos disease
Using Nanotechnology to address such applications is challenging because the blood system within the body is sensitive to the charge, shape, and size of an object released into the flow stream (even very small ones!). Recent work by Nanotech researchers at Wake Forest has sought to mitigate the effects of nanotubes, nanometal particulates, and metal oxide nanorodss in blood flow. This allows us to address disease centers in vessels using agents that can be safely ignored by the body.
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