New Delhi, Jan 17 (PTI) Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) has entered into technology transfer agreements with the Pune-based Biorad Medisys for two biomedical implants -- an atrial septal defect occluder and an intracranial flow diverter stent, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) said on Sunday.

The cost of the indigenous flow diverter stent is expected to be significantly lower than the imported ones available currently, the DST said.

The stent has been developed by the institute "in collaboration with National Aerospace Laboratories, Bangalore, using superelastic Nitinol alloys,” the DST said in a statement.

Nitinol-based occluder devices, which are presently used to heal atrial septal defect (ASD) or hole in the heart that affects eight out of every 1000 living babies born, are currently imported to meet demands, the DST said.

Besides, India does not manufacture flow diverter stents, which are needed for diverting blood flow away from an intracranial aneurysm or localised ballooning of arteries in the brain, helping reduce chances of its rupture and related stroke.

The novel ASD occlude developed by SCTIMST promotes better healing of the hole in the heart and also has a softer edge for minimising the damage to adjacent tissue, the DST said.

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