Miami Cardiovascular Innovations (MCVI), started two years ago, is working to develop a ‘bioactive’ stent, using biotech and genetic engineering.

MCVI, created by healthcare entrepreneur Frank J. Avellanet and Eduardo de Marchena, MD, medical director of the cardiovascular center at the University of Miami Hospital, is attempting to find a ‘more natural’ stent, according to the Miami Herald.

“This project of the bioactive stent could be revolutionary,” Roberto I. Vazquez-Padron, a MCVI scientist in charge of conducting tests on animals, told the Herald. “For the first time, the major advances in the fields of stem-cell research, bioengineering and genetic engineering will be combined.”

The researchers are working to develop a bioactive stent that favors the growth of endothelial cells to accelerate the recovery of an obstructed artery and heal the tissue surrounding the stent. The Herald reported that the stent, which must first go through extensive tests on animals, is at least several years away from reaching market.