| Scope and Method of Study. The lack of haemocompatibility in biomaterials is a major concern in blood contacting devices. It causes serious complications such as platelet adhesion and aggregation, thrombosis and shedding of emboli, the latter which could lead to death. According to FDA reports, at least 1510 cases of thrombosis were reported in the year 2008 of which 299 of these cases resulted in death. Improving the haemocompatibility of biomaterials will have a significant impact in lowering these numbers. Furthermore, the market for biomaterials exceeds ;Findings and Conclusions. NTPDase was successfully immobilized to functionalized PET surfaces. PET surfaces were functionalized by aminolysis, hydrolysis and carboxylation to introduce reactive functional groups. Surface and bulk characterization showed that carboxylated PET has desirable mechanical and surface properties. NTPDase was immobilized to carboxylated and aminolyzed PET. NTPDase immobilization on carboxylated PET was stable and the polymer showed quantifiable NTPDase activity. NTPDase kinetics were studied for free and immobilized NTPDase. In vitro studies using unmodified and modified PET showed that NTPDase attachment significantly improved the haemocompatibility of the polymer. Dual functional polymers were developed by attaching cysteine and NTPDase, simultaneously. However, further research is required to stabilize cysteine attachment. |
