Case Study: Boston Scientific achieves tailored drug-release profiles for drug-eluting stents with Comsol

Simulating The Release Mechanism in Drug-Eluting Stents

Boston Scientific used simulations to better understand the drug release mechanism from drug‑eluting stent coatings, aiming to explain and control why some designs show rapid initial release and others sustain delivery to reduce restenosis. To tackle this challenge they worked with Comsol, using COMSOL Multiphysics and its Optimization Module to connect experimental kinetic drug release (KDR) data with a computational model of the coating microstructure.

Comsol implemented a two‑dimensional axisymmetric pore‑shell model that tracked dissolution in pores and diffusion through the polymer shell, and used the Optimization Module to fit effective parameters (like shell thickness and a retardation coefficient) to experimental release curves. The simulations achieved good agreement with in vitro and in vivo KDR data, explicitly showing fast release from pore‑filled drug and slower diffusion from the encapsulated shell, giving Boston Scientific actionable insight to tailor coating microstructure and better control drug release.

Boston Scientific

Ismail Guler

Boston Scientific Corporation