Repairing Damaged Arteries
The Grail is a European Union (EU) co-funded project (grant nr. 278557) to create a bioresorbable stent to repair the damaged blood vessels of patients treated for blocked arteries (atherosclerosis).
The blockage of arteries due to the build-up of fat deposits is the cause of a wide variety of diseases, disabilities and death because of restricted blood flow to the diseased organs. These organs include the brain (causing stroke), the heart, kidneys, digestive tract and lower limbs (leading to amputations, especially in diabetic patients).
The Grail aims to create a bioresorbable stent that promotes repair of the lining of blood vessels following endovascular surgery to clear and reopen blocked arteries. As part of THE GRAIL consortium, Exlpra Bioscience developed and validated an experimental model that mimics atherosclerosis by exploiting host immune-response.This model avoids current pitfalls relating to barotrauma and blading models.
A Superior Model for Atherosclerosis
Explora developed an atherosclerosis model based on immune reaction rather than on barotrauma. Our atherosclerosis model is based on the selective destruction of intima endothelial cells by exposing host’s vessel tract to xenogenic complement-rich serum. The delamination occurs without mechanical stress thus avoiding tunica media hyperproliferation.
