Abstract
Biomaterials dominate the field of cardiovascular therapeutics, a multitude of which have been used to repair and replace injured heart tissue. This field has evolved beyond the simple selection of compatible materials and now focuses on the rational design of controlled structures that integrate with the cardiovascular system. However, the compatibility of these materials with the blood presents a major limitation to their clinical application. In this context, surface modification strategies can enhance blood compatibility and several recent advances in this area have emerged. This review summarizes the recent applications of biomaterials in cardiovascular therapies, the improvements in their biocompatibility and the surface modification technologies that have the potential to improve clinical outcomes.
Author contributions
Each co-author listed above participated sufficiently in the work to take responsibility for the content and that all those who qualify are listed.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
This work was supported by the Zhejiang Provincial Science and Technology Projects (No. LGF19H020009 to C.G.Z), Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (No. LY18H020009 to Y Cui) and Hangzhou Medical Technology Plan Project (No. 0020190129 to X-H Xu). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.