Dr. Paul Santerre, Techna's Director of Research Faculty (Physical Sciences), is the recipient of the prestigious 2014 Principal Award from the Ernest C. Manning Awards Foundation for his work on surface-modifying macromolecules. Commercialized through Interface Biologics Inc., his invention helps to prevent blood clots from forming on plastic devices inserted into the body, such as catheters.
While manufacturers could previously prevent clots by coating devices with anti-coagulant drugs, those coatings would dissolve away over time and enter the body or undergo fouling. To address this issue, Dr. Santerre developed surface-modifying macromolecules that can be permanently embedded into the medical device during manufacturing and that have been shown to dramatically reduce clotting. The patented additive, known as Endexo™, has been incorporated into catheters that are now in use across Canada and the United States. Read more about Dr. Santerre's achievement in Maclean's and UofT News.
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