2024-01-31 19:38:00
Researchers at Imperial College have developed a new heart treatment that involves growing replacement heart valves inside the body. The new approach aims to produce a living valve in the body that can grow with the patient, providing a more adaptable and long-term solution compared to mechanical or biological valves.
Conventional heart valve replacements, both mechanical and biological, have limitations and this new approach addresses the shortcomings of existing treatments. Patients with mechanical valves need to take lifelong medications to prevent blood clotting, while biological valves last only 10 to 15 years, requiring multiple replacements for congenital heart defects in children.
The new approach involves a nanofibrous polymeric valve scaffold that recruits the patient’s cells and instructs their development, functioning as a bioreactor to grow new tissue. Animal tests showed that the valves worked well, continuing to function for six months and showing good cell regeneration.
The scaffold was able to attract cells from the bloodstream and facilitate tissue regeneration, demonstrating the feasibility of regeneration in vivo. Gradual degradation of the polymer structure did not affect valve functionality, indicating successful tissue regeneration over time.
More animal studies will be conducted to gather essential data for regulatory approval and clinical trials over the next five years. The technology, once developed for heart valve replacement, has potential to be used in other tissue regeneration and vascular repair applications.
This validation study of the new cardiac treatment was published in the journal Communications Biology, which represents a significant advance in the field of valvulogenesis.
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