Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc.

Timothy O'Connor

Jan Weber

David McMorrow

Aiden Flanagan

Liliana Atanasoska

John T Clarke

Anthony Malone

Robert Nolan

Tom Mc Hale

The present invention is directed to medical implants that are configured to controllably release therapeutic agent to a target site of a patient and methods of making these implants. Embodiments of the present invention may include a method comprising the steps of providing a tube having a wall with inner and outer surfaces and defining a passageway, forming an opening through the wall of the tube, applying a porous coating layer to at least one of the inner and outer surfaces of the tube, and loading a therapeutic agent solution into the passageway so that therapeutic agent passes through the opening and into the porous coating layer. The method may also include removing portions of the tube to form the implantable medical device, which may be a stent.

Methods for making drug-eluting medical devices

The present invention is directed to methods, processes, and systems for delivering therapeutic agent to a medical device. Under some methods, processes, and systems of the invention, particles including a magnetic material and a therapeutic agent may be directed towards a medical device via magnetic attraction. In another embodiment particles including a magnetic material may force a therapeutic agent/solvent solution into porous matrix by using a magnetic attraction. In still another embodiment, a medical device having at least a portion thereof including a magnetic material is used to attract and adhere particles comprising magnetic material and therapeutic agent to a target surface of the medical device, wherein the particles are fused to the target surface.

Using magnetism to prepare a medical device

The present invention is directed to methods and systems for aligning and coating a medical device during a single coating cycle. A first section of an applicator may apply a contact force to surfaces of the medical device. The contact force may align and remove surface irregularities from the medical device prior to coating the medical device with coating. The coating may be resident on a second section of the applicator.

Methods and systems for depositing coating on a medical device

A method of applying a coating material to a stent includes the steps of providing a generally tubular stent having an inside surface and an outside surface and applying a coating material to the inside surface of the stent without applying that coating material to the outside surface of the stent. The method may comprise providing a mandrel having a diameter less than an interior diameter of the stent, providing the coating material around the mandrel, placing the stent around the mandrel and crimping the stent so that the inside surface of the stent contacts the coating material. Alternatively, the method may comprise providing an expandable device, providing the expandable device with the coating material such that the coating material is deliverable from the expandable device, placing the stent around the expandable device and expanding the expandable device such that the expandable device contacts the inside surface of the stent. Alternatively, the method may comprise providing an elongated material that is capable of having its diameter reduced under the application of a tensile force, providing the coating material around the elongated material, applying a tensile force to the elongated material, placing the stent around the elongated material and reducing or releasing the tensile force, thereby allowing the diameter of the elongated member to increase so that the coating material contacts the inside surface of the stent. The coating material may comprise an endothelial cell growth promoter.

Methods of applying coating to the inside surface of a stent

Method and system for reducing the damage to a coated medical implant during the expansion of the coated implant is provided. The method may include providing a coated medical implant, providing a balloon catheter having a multi-wing balloon, the multi-wing balloon having at least four expandable folds, and crimping the medical implant onto the multi-wing balloon. The system may include a coated medical implant and a multi-wing balloon catheter having at least four expandable wings, the expandable wings in contact with the coating of the medical implant.

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Claregalway, Ireland

Timothy O'Connor