Quartz Crystal Nanobalance-Dissipation Based Simulation Model as Pre-Clinical Modality for Blood Coagulation Behavior for Evaluation of the Risk of Thrombosis

In search of ideal treatment for coronary artery disease (CAD), various types of stents for preventing closure or stenosis have been developed. In particular, drug-eluting stents (DES), the most recently introduced class of coronary stents, has significantly reduced the incidence of restenosis by inhibiting hyperplasia of the intimal layer at the reperfusion site. On the other hand, recent studies reported the potential adverse effects of anti-proliferative drugs loaded on DES. For example, the patient group after DES use showed an increased incidence of late and very late stent thrombosis (after 30 days from PCI) compared to traditional bare-metal stents. Stent thrombosis which means a formation of blood clots is a complication following a PCI procedure. While the incidence rate of the complication is relatively low, the mortality of the complication is significant. Thus, the preclinical prediction model for arterial stenosis after deploying stents is required to reduce the adverse effect. Herein, we proposed a preclinical analytic method using QCN-D (Quartz Crystal Nanobalance-Dissipation) sensor for investigating the blood coagulation behavior on the dynamic condition of the stent surfaces. The quartz crystals (QCs) were coated with nitinol, heparin, and anti-proliferative drug to simulate the hemodynamic conditions on the surface of stents. The results of QCN-D demonstrated the potentiality as a preclinical system for evaluating the risks of stent thrombosis.