3D-printed heart valve that grows with patient shows promise
Researchers at Harvard University have developed a new synthetic heart valve that could revolutionize the way pediatric heart valve replacements are performed. The valve, dubbed as FibraValve, is made using a 3D printing method called 'focused rotary jet spinning' and can be manufactured in just 10 minutes. The FibraValve is also designed to grow with the child, eliminating the need for multiple surgeries.
Why does this story matter?
Damage to heart valves causes serious problems including stroke and heart failure. Operations involving replacement of the damaged heart valves are expensive and not just that, synthetic heart valves take months to produce. That's where the new 3D-printed valve could be a potential game changer. Researchers claim the implant can circumvent the challenges related to cost and the duration of manufacturing.
FibraValve has a mesh-like network of nanofibers
Using focused rotary jet spinning, researchers designed a heart valve-shaped frame and then streamed air jets to fill liquid polymer into the frame. "A new, custom polymer material" called PLCL, a combination of polycaprolactone and polylactic acid was used. The resulting heart valve has a mesh-like network of nanofibers that acts like the extracellular matrix, allowing cells to infiltrate and grow.
Why was focused rotary jet spinning method used?
"Cells operate at the nanometer scale, and 3D printing can't reach down to that level, but focused rotary jet spinning can put nanometer-scale spatial cues in there so that when cells crawl up into that scaffold, they feel like they're in a heart valve, not a synthetic scaffold," said Kit Parker, the study's senior author and a professor of bioengineering at Harvard.
The heart valve can remodel itself
In addition, the heart valve can remodel itself. The implant could thereby be useful in children with heart valve disease, who have to undergo successive valve surgeries at different stages of their life as their heart size changes with age.
"Current heart valve replacements do not grow alongside the child"
"Unfortunately, current heart valve replacements do not grow alongside the child, necessitating repeat high-risk surgeries throughout the pediatric patient's life," said the study, published in the journal Matters. "FibraValves are manufactured using biodegradable polymer fibers that allow for the patient's cells to attach and remodel the implanted scaffold, eventually building a native valve that can grow and live with the child throughout their life."
FibraValve started functioning immediately when tested in sheep
When FibraValve was implanted in living sheep, it "started to function immediately, its leaflets opening and closing to let blood flow through with every heartbeat," according to the study. Within the first hour, the synthetic heart valve could successfully regulate blood flow. Researchers said that there were no signs of thrombosis, side effects, or other problems associated with the heart valve.
Researchers will carry out further trials
Driven by the success of their preliminary study, researchers plan to conduct more trials using different animal models and evaluate the performance of the implant over long durations. The team believes their work will eventually find other uses such as creating different valves and cardiac patches. However, it might take quite some time before the implant is available for humans.
