An implantable infection shield and system for drug delivery in vascular tissue
includes a relatively non-biodegradable porous linked fibrous biomaterial which
controls and directs cell growth and angiogenesis from adjacent vascular tissue
into the implant. Infection shield embodiments stimulate cell growth and angiogenesis
from adjacent vascular tissue which effectively blocks passage of pathogenic microorganisms
along percutaneously implanted objects. In embodiments for drug delivery, a reservoir
of the same biomaterial may contain either (1) a cell culture system enclosed within
a porous sealable interior chamber or (2) a biodegradable matrix in which one or
more drugs are dispersed. After implantation of a reservoir of the first embodiment
in an organism, cultured cells obtain food and oxygen via diffusion in tissue fluid
through the porous walls of the interior chamber, while metabolic products, including
drugs, diffuse away from the cell culture in an analogous manner. In a reservoir
of the second embodiment, a biodegradable matrix substantially fills the pores
(voids), and progressive dissolution of the matrix releases one or more drugs into
surrounding tissue fluid. Reservoirs of either embodiment comprise a plurality
of voids of a predetermined size effective for stimulating angiogenesis from the
surrounding vascular tissue into at least a portion of the reservoir. The reservoir
thus acts to couple a source of drugs to the circulatory system of the organism.