Date: July 15th 2025
Currently, about 10% of implanted medical devices worldwide are rejected by the body. For breast implants alone, the rejection rate is 46%. Amrutha Hariharan is a second-year Doctoral candidate at CÚRAM, based at University of Galway and funded through the lifETIME CDT scholarship programme. Her research, supervised by Prof Abhay Pandit, Founding Director of CÚRAM, is focussed on developing biomaterial coatings for devices that will make them more acceptable to the body.
Amrutha recently won Best Poster Award at the 16th Jenner Glycobiology and Medicine Symposium in Maynooth, and last year earned the Best Presenter award while participating in the Impact Accelerator programme facilitated by the Research and Innovation office at University of Galway.
“When the body perceives medical device implants as a threat, they recruit immune cells to the site of implantation and form a thick barrier around the device” she explains. “Over a number of years, the body can overpower and reject the implant, often leading to the need for a re-surgery.”
“We are designing a novel coating for medical device implants that speaks the body’s language. Our focus is on developing biomaterials that carry specific ligands on its surface which binds to receptors on the immune cells to let them know that we are here to help and support the body. Currently we are focussing on breast implants as they have the highest rates of rejection but ultimately this coating could be used for a variety of devices, including for example, prosthetic implants and neurotransmitters.”
The therapeutic benefits of biomaterials, implants, or implantable medical devices are often short-lived and limited by the host’s foreign body response(FBR). FBR is a phenomenon where the body wants to safeguard itself by forming a thick fibrotic capsule (barrier) around the implant, isolating it from the rest of the body.
Currently there are coatings available that prevent infection, help osteointegration, support thermal and electrical conductivity and resist wear and corrosion. None are currently available to help with the issue of immune rejection. This research is focusing on developing hydrogels or coatings that can reduce the thickness of the fibrotic capsule.
The project is still at early-stage development, and the material has been designed and is being fabricated so that it can be tested. This advanced coating could allow the implant industry to deliver safer, durable, and immune-evasive solutions for improved patient outcomes in the future.
Speaking about her recent award Amrutha said “I have been working on this project for the last year and a half, trying to make it as relevant as possible to the patient. Receiving this award is a great acknowledgment of my work so far and a huge motivator to carry it forward. Luckily at CÚRAM, coming from a chemistry background I get the opportunity to collaborate with biologists, and connect with industry partners so I have the support to make what I hope will be a real impact with my research.”
ENDS
