| abstract |
A stent (100) based drug delivery system. A biological agent of interest is entrapped within a matrix (130), which is loaded into channels (110) on the surface of a stent. The matrix allows for release, usually sustained release, of the entrapped agent. The stent and matrix is sheathed with a covalently bound gel (140). In one embodiment of the invention, the stent is used to deliver therapeutic agents to a patient, providing the advantage of efficient delivery and sustained release of an agent at a localized site. In another embodiment of the invention, the drug delivery system is used for testing and comparison of candidate drugs in an in vivo setting. |