The blockage of lung arteries by a blood clot results in pulmonary embolism – a condition requiring emergency care that affects more than 300,000 people in the United States each year. Existing treatments, however, may not fully remove the clot, necessitating the development of new therapeutic strategies for pulmonary embolism. Now, in a major step forward, Temple researchers developed a device known as the Bashir™ Endovascular Catheter (Thrombolex, Inc.), which effectively dissolves the clots in the lungs, with no major bleeding risk. Bleeding following clot dissolution is a significant risk for thrombolytic therapies currently on the market.