Vascular stents with rationally-designed surface patterning

Herein, we discuss our recent progress towards realization of next-generation vascular stents that seek to mitigate adverse physiological responses to stenting via rational design of stent surface topography at the nanoscale. Specifically, we will discuss advances in patterning of deep sub-micrometer scale features in titanium (Ti) substrates, creation of cylindrical stents from micromachined planar Ti substrates, and integration of these processes to produce devices that will eventually allow evaluation of rationally-designed nanopatterning in physiologically-relevant contexts. We will also discuss results from mechanical testing and finite element modeling of these devices to assess their mechanical performance. These efforts represent key steps towards our long-term goal of developing a new paradigm for stents in which rationally-designed surface nanopatterning provides a physical means for complementing, or replacing, current pharmacological interventions.