Mark Mazumder
Little Rock, Arkansas
Age 18
While in 9th grade, Mark observed a surgery in which a stent was inserted to open a blocked artery. Mark studied the problem of reformation of blockage that occurs in about 25% of patients. Mark invented a stent, which is encased with a polymer sheath to provide biocompatibility and corrosion inhibition while remaining capable of expansion. Antithrombogenic drugs can be embedded in the coating to promote the growth of new cell tissue while preventing re-blockage.