Biomaterials Research Team
Many different devices are now implanted surgically to repair or improve the function of the heart. These devices, including artificial blood vessels and heart valves, are inserted with minimal risk. However, they are not biocompatible. They may be seen as foreign objects by the body, and require life-long blood thinning medication, which carries it’s own burden of disease. Thus, our research is aimed at producing biocompatible devices by electromagnetically coating foreign surfaces with recombinant synthetic human elastin and fibronectin. This technique is currently being developed to build new blood vessels in the laboratory. As biocompatibility is demonstrated, the technology and knowledge gained may be used to produce other biocompatible devices.
Current team members
| Name | Position | Research Question |
| Michael Byrom | Senior Researcher | Supervisor |
| Steve Wise | Researcher | Development of improved vascular grafts |
| Hamid Mollahajian | St Jude Fellowship, PhD Student, Vascular Surgery Trainee | Biocompatibility of vascular grafts |
Past team members
| Name | Position | Research Question |
| Michael Byrom | St Jude Fellowship, PhD Student | Development of new artificial blood vessels for use in vascular bypass surgery |
