The Need Injuries involving hemorrhaging from the aorta, particularly in military and trauma settings, pose a significant threat to patients' lives. Current treatment options require clamping which completely restricts blood flow resulting in risks of complications such as coagulopathy and orga…

Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing hemodialysis (HD) face critical challenges in maintaining functional vascular access. Despite the superiority of arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) in terms of longevity, infection rates, and cost-effectiveness, over a third of AVFs fail to mature a…

The vitreous humor is a fragile, transparent tissue between the lens and the retina of the eye that maintains the shape of the eye, acts as a shock absorber, and enables nutrient diffusion to ocular tissues. The vitreous also plays a key role in oxygen homeostasis. Over time, the vitreous degrades…

Imaging and re-intervention procedures, necessary to maintain open blood vessels following vascular reconstruction surgery, are expensive. For example, the cost of maintenance for an arteriovenous (AV) fistula used in hemodialysis access has been estimated at $15,000/year. In bypass and AV fistula…

Heart valve (HV) therapy is the second most common cardiac intervention in the U.S. with transcatheter delivery the dominant surgical approach. Most procedures employ mechanical (MHV) or bioprosthetic (BHV) devices. However, MHVs involve a significant risk of thromboembolism and require lifelong a…

There are about 275 million adults globally with moderate to severe hearing loss and 360 million adults with mild hearing loss. The current solutions to allow these people to hear better include hearing aids, hearing loss counseling, cochlear implants, alerting devices, and other communication aid…