Engineering nitric oxide releasing intravascular catheters with solid slippery surfaces to combat infection and thrombosis

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute awarded Nytricx, Inc. $314,337 on August 1, 2026, under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837) to engineer nitric oxide-releasing intravascular catheters with solid slippery surfaces designed to combat infection and thrombosis in short-term applications.

Nytricx, Inc., a self-certified small disadvantaged business headquartered in Athens, Georgia, specializes in nitric oxide release polymer technologies for advanced medical devices. The award funds development of catheter surface coatings that improve biocompatibility and reduce infection and thrombotic complications associated with indwelling vascular access devices.

The period of performance runs from August 1, 2026, through July 31, 2027. This is a Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project grant, one of multiple federal grants Nytricx has received from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and other NIH institutes focused on antimicrobial and antithrombotic medical device technologies. The company has also secured prior federal contract work developing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation circuits with nitric oxide-releasing coatings through the Department of Health and Human Services.

Abstract

The frequent need for short-term (