A new stent for treating cardiovascular disease that incorporates a polymer invented at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, has been implanted in patients for the first time.
The device, called Fantom™, is a drug-eluting scaffold being developed by REVA Medical Inc. of San Diego. The scaffold, or stent, is made from a unique formulation from a tyrosine-based polymer family invented by Joachim Kohn, Rutgers Board of Governors Professor of Chemistry. The company signed the initial licensing agreement with Rutgers in 2004 for the polymer family.
The polymer is a major step forward because the stent made from the material is fully visible using X-ray, which is extremely useful to interventional cardiologists when they are implanting the device. The polymer also is fully bioresorbable, meaning that it dissolves completely over time, which is an advantage particularly for younger patients.
The first Fantom implants were done at Institute Dante Pazzanese of Cardiology in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where REVA Senior Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs Jeff Anderson was present.
"During these first procedures, the unique features of the Fantom scaffold were evident," Anderson said. "The scaffold was easily delivered and the procedure was aided by the visibility of the scaffold under X-ray, a feature that we believe provides physicians with a valuable tool for confirming proper placement during implant."
This is a major step forward toward introducing a valuable new therapeutic tool that has the potential to help many patients worldwide," Kohn said. Kohn launched a company, TYRX Inc., in his lab 16 years ago to commercialize his patented polymer technologies in implantable medical devices. Now located in Monmouth Junction, N.J., TYRX was purchased last year by Medtronic, a global corporation, for more than $160 million.
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