High thrombogenic resistance palladium-based metallic glass
A collaboration between researchers from the Laboratory of Metal Physics and Technology at ETH Zurich and Empa has shown that Pd-based metallic glass has significantly higher thrombogenic resistance than advanced Ti64. With its superior mechanical properties, Pd-based glass is of particular interest for carrier medical devices in contact with blood. The results are presented in Advanced Functional Materials.
Schematic illustration revealing studies of matter-blood interactions through systematic modification and analysis of the microstructure of materials.
Advances in medical device design have dramatically improved patient survival rates, but the metals currently in use, which are predominantly based on crystalline titanium, still elicit a thrombotic response on contact with blood, with potentially fatal consequences. This serious problem was also recognized in the Zurich Heart project at the University of Medicine of Zurich (HMZ), which aims to develop ventricular assist devices (VADs) to support potentially failing hearts.
As part of the Zurich Heart project, researchers from the Laboratory of Metals Physics and Technology at ETH and Empa carried out a detailed study of material-blood interactions and systematically varied the microstructure of the material and the responses of the materials. blood components for different time scales and complexities, ranging from blood proteins to whole human blood. The authors of the Advanced Functional Materials article studied a solid metallic glass based on palladium (Pd-) and observed that it exhibited significantly higher thromboresistance than that of advanced titanium alloys. Compared to Ti64, Pd glass stimulated increased platelet diffusion, but reduced platelet aggregation and significantly reduced activation, hampering potential fibrin formation and thereby generating reduced overall thrombogenicity. To elucidate the associated mechanism, the authors have shown that the superior thromboresistant properties of Pd glass are linked to differences in the conformation of fibrinogen adsorbed at the surface on Pd surfaces.
Considering the superior mechanical properties of metallic glasses, the authors conclude that bulk Pd glass has immense potential as a bulk material in contact with blood, without the need for coating, especially for deployment in medical devices. such as VAD.
- Highly thrombogenic palladium-based metallic glass for medical devices in contact with blood, M. Cihova & E. Müller, Y. Chandorkar, K. Thorwarth, G. Fortunato, K. Maniura-Weber, JF Löffler, M Rottmar, Adv. Function. Mater. 31, 2108256 (2021). DOI: 10.1002 / adfm.202108256call_made. Wileycall_made Online Library
- Laboratory of Metals Physics and Technology, ETH Zurich
- Laboratory of Biointerfacescall_made, Empa St. Gallen
- University medicine Zurichcall_made
- Zurich Heartcall_made project
- Laboratory for Surface Science and Coating Technologies call_made, Empa Dübendorf
- Laboratory of Biomimetic Membranes and Textilescall_made, Empa St. Gallen