Project in Biomedical Materials joins Portuguese and Chinese researchers

The research project “Biofunctional coatings for cardiovascular interventional devices”, presented by researchers Cristina Martins (Instituto Nacional de Engenharia Biomédica) and Jian Ji (Zhejiang University) was selected after the call for Joint Project Proposals of the Portugal-China Joint Innovation Centre for Advanced Materials.

From April to May 2013, FCT and the Department of International Cooperation of Ministry of Science and Technology of China of the People´s Republic of China (MOST), accepted proposals for joint projects in Biomedical Materials, Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials, Sustainable Materials and Materials for Energy, that were evaluated by an international panel. The selected project, one of 13 joint proposals received, will receive €100 thousand for one year.

The selected project aims to create a new generation of coatings for devices used in treating cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovascular diseases are leading causes of death and disability, affecting millions of people worldwide, with China registering more than 10 million patients per year. Therapy of these devastating diseases relies on balloon and stent implantation, invasive approaches that can lead to mechanical injury and inflammation. This project aims to control inflammation and promote vascular healing by using specific coatings on stents, and antimicrobial coatings that may also reduce the formation of bacterial biofilms on catheters.

The research team has collaborated for over a decade, starting in 1997 with the project “Blood contact materials”, under the China-Portugal Sci &Tech agreement. Joining the starting research team in this project are the companies Zhejiang Zylox Medical Device (China), Matera (Portugal) and the R&D institution IPATIMUP.

FROM: FCT WEBSITE