Research Interests: NO Donors
Drug Delivery
Cardiovascular Biomaterials
Nitric
oxide (NO) has several biological functions that make it a candidate
therapeutic for a range of diverse disease states. Materials that release NO in a localized and
controlled manner may also be an important investigative tool to study the
effects of NO on cells and tissues. We
have successfully synthesized copolymers of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) that have
been shown to release NO over a number of different time frames. These materials have shown efficacy in
inhibiting some of the major contributors to the restenosis cascade. These bioactive polymers may have applications
in further analysis of the effects of NO in biological systems and may prove
beneficial as drug delivery systems in numerous applications, such as
prevention of restenosis after balloon angioplasty or promotion of dermal
healing.