The long-term objective of the proposed research is to develop tissue engineered materials for endovascular treatment of aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations and vascularized tumors. This proposal is for feasibility testing of a chondrocyte-laden thermosensitive gel for the above objective. This material will gel at 37 degrees C upon delivery into blood vessels or lesions, producing immediate occlusion. Subsequently, the chondrocytes will organize the material, forming cartilage, and inhibit further angiogenesis at the site of delivery. Immediate gelation will be studied in an in vitro aneurysm model and chondrogenesis will be studied following endovascular delivery in a rat model. Explanted material will be studied histologically and by the chick chorioallantoic membrane angiogenesis assay for antiangiogenic potential. If stable (antiangiogenic occlusion is demonstrated in these experiments), these methods will be further developed in a subsequent Phase II SBIR proposal. The most likely clinical applications for endovascular chondrogenesis are for arterial embolization of renal carcinoma, hepatic hemangiomas and for cerebral aneurysms.
The world-wide market for tissue engineered endovascular repair products for treatment of aneurysms and vascularized tumors is at least $300 million, with a 20% compound annual growth rate.
