News & Events
Posted: June 22, 2007
In a ceremony in London on June 18th, UCL Professor Alex Seifalian’s breakthrough work in bypass grafts for cardiovascular treatment was recognized by the highly prestigious Medical Futures Innovation Awards panel, as the Professor was awarded as ‘Winner of The Overall Cardiovascular Innovation Award'.
Professor Seifalian’s work on harnessing nanotechnology for implanted devices has resulted in the development of 'NASA style' nanotechnology coatings for bypass grafts used in heart and blood vessel surgery.
His team has developed a novel nanomaterial that can be used to development a new generation of cardiovascular medical devices such as blood vessels and heart valves.
It is common in patients with vascular disease for their blood vessels to become blocked, and one of the surgical treatments is to bypass the blocked vessel using a vein taken from the patient’s own leg. Many patients do not have suitable veins for this purpose and the currently used artificial materials have poor results. Professor Seifalian’s team of scientists from University College London have developed an artificial coronary artery bypass graft using this novel polymer. By incorporating bioactive molecules that encourage endothelialisation of the graft from circulating stem cells, the material promises outstanding results, and offers new hope to thousands of sufferers of cardiovascular disease. The graft has been extensively tested in vitro and in vivo and has been shown to have a high success rate.
UCL Business is delighted at the Professor’s award, and is confident that this innovation could revolutionise cardiac surgery and may have a wider application in preventing organ rejection.
Project Liaison Manager at UCLB, Karen Cheetham, commented, “This is a very exciting technology which we envisage having applications in many different fields and it is a pleasure to work with such an innovative team of scientists.”
The Medical Futures Innovation Awards
A Medical Futures Innovation Award is the UK's most sought after healthcare accolade. The Awards, supported by the Prime Minister, have achieved coverage in over 300 publications. They have been featured on the BBC, ITV & Sky News, and are referred to by the national press as the ‘Healthcare Oscars'. Read more about this year’s awards at: www.medicalfutures.co.uk
Further Information
For further information contact Mrs.Karen Cheetham, Project Liaison Manager, UCL Business PLC on 020 7679 9000, (k.cheetham@uclb.com)
