TY - JOUR T1 - Development of a viable bronchotracheal stent with <em>in vivo</em> spray application of respiratory epithelial cells JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 44 IS - Suppl 58 SP - P701 AU - Anja Lena Thiebes AU - Stefanie Albers AU - Stefan Jockenhoevel AU - Christian G. Cornelissen Y1 - 2014/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P701.abstract N2 - A novel concept for a viable airway stent - the PulmoStent - was developed to overcome current limitations of airway stenting for bronchotracheal cancer. A custom-made nitinol stent is combined with a separating layer from polyurethane to inhibit restenosis. The distinguishing feature of this concept is a tissue-engineered respiratory epithelial layer on the luminal side which guarantees mucociliary clearance.To avoid complications with crimping and implantation of a cell seeded stent, we have analyzed the possibility of in vivo seeding of respiratory cells with a spraying device. For better adherence to the polyurethane layer, cells will be embedded in a thin layer of fibrin gel, as fibrin gel was proven to be a suitable scaffold for respiratory epithelial cells (Cornelissen, C.G. et al. Ann Biomed Eng. 2012; 40(3): 679-687). In an in vitro study, survival of respiratory epithelial cells when spray processed with a nozzle and a catheter system for bronchoscopy was compared to non-sprayed controls and showed acceptable results of survival rates up to 88.5 % of the control. Furthermore, we have confirmed respiratory cell differentiation when embedded in a thin layer of fibrin gel in vitro. As a next step, we will prove the PulmoStent-concept in vivo in a large animal model. Here, respiratory epithelial cells will be removed from ovine tracheal or nasal mucosa via brush biopsy, cultured and autologously transplanted.Hence, the novel concept of the PulmoStent might improve palliative treatment of bronchotracheal stenoses by combination of stent-technology with tissue-engineered epithelial cells. ER -