Improving Blood Clot Prevention for Medical Devices

Contact Pathway Activation on Vascular Devices

NIH-funded research Oregon Health & Science University · NIH-11109658

This project looks for new ways to prevent dangerous blood clots from forming on medical devices inside the body, aiming for treatments that cause less bleeding.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionOregon Health & Science University NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Portland, United States)
Project IDNIH-11109658 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

This project explores how a specific blood clotting process, called contact activation, contributes to clots forming on medical devices like stents and oxygenators. Current clot-preventing medicines, while helpful, often lead to serious bleeding, especially in vulnerable patients like sick newborns on life support. We are working to understand this clotting pathway better to develop new medicines that are safer and cause fewer bleeding side effects. Our goal is to create better ways to protect patients with medical devices from both clotting and bleeding complications.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Patients who rely on vascular medical devices such as stents, grafts, hemodialyzers, or ECMO, and are at risk for blood clots and bleeding complications, could potentially benefit from this research.

Not a fit: Patients who do not have medical devices that interact with the blood or are not at risk for device-related blood clots would not directly benefit from this specific research.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new anticoagulant medications that are more effective at preventing clots on medical devices while significantly reducing the risk of dangerous bleeding.

How similar studies have performed: While current antithrombotic drugs exist, this research focuses on a novel approach to develop safer options with fewer bleeding side effects, addressing an unmet medical need.

Where this research is happening

Portland, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.