VasculaSure
- Jaya Hamkins
- Melanie Vazquez Arroyo
- Gnagna Sy
- Katherine Chen
- Hannah Kim
- Valerie Tu
- Amelia Jiang-Yu
- Abeeha Mirza
- Elizabeth Logsdon, Ph.D.
- Fernando Gonzalez, M.D.
- Jordan Green, Ph.D.
Abstract:
When an aneurysm ruptures, blood begins to build up in the space between the brain and the skull. After surgeons operate to stop the bleeding, patients face 2-3 weeks of recovery in the ICU. During this period, patients risk developing vasospasm—the spontaneous narrowing of cerebral blood vessels caused by inflammation and tissue damage—which can cut off blood flow to the brain (Mascia, 2009). The resulting damage can lead to long-term disability or even death (Shah, 2023). VasculaSure is a drug delivery system that continuously releases a vasodilating agent directly into the ventricles of the brain over the course of three weeks. Once released into the cerebrospinal fluid, the vasodilator circulates around the brain and exerts therapeutic effects on blood vessels in spasm, restoring healthy blood flow to brain tissue.