{"id":1147830,"date":"2023-06-07T14:04:56","date_gmt":"2023-06-07T18:04:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/?p=1147830"},"modified":"2023-06-07T14:04:56","modified_gmt":"2023-06-07T18:04:56","slug":"harvards-synthetic-heart-valve-is-designed-to-grow-in-step-with-the-human-body","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/?p=1147830","title":{"rendered":"Harvard\u2019s synthetic heart valve is designed to grow in step with the human body"},"content":{"rendered":"

Researchers have developed a promising synthetic heart valve that may eventually be used for growing children. Harvard\u2019s Wass Institute and John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) created what they call FibraValve<\/a>. This implant can be manufactured in minutes using a spun-fiber method that lets them shape the valve\u2019s delicate flaps on a microscopic level \u2014 ready to be colonized by the patient\u2019s living cells, developing with them as they mature.<\/p>\n

FibraValve is a follow-up to JetValve<\/a>, the team\u2019s 2017 artificial heart valve that employed many of the same principles. The updated version uses \u201cfocused rotary jet spinning,\u201d which adds streams of focused air to more quickly and accurately collect synthetic fibers on a spinning mandrel \u2014 making it easier to fine-tune the valve\u2019s shape. As a result, the polymer\u2019s micro- and nano-fibers can more precisely replicate the tissue structure of an organic heart valve. The manufacturing process takes less than 10 minutes; alternative methods<\/a> can require hours.<\/p>\n

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\"Diagram
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Wyss Institute at Harvard University<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The technique also uses \u201ca new, custom polymer material\u201d called PLCL (a combination of polycaprolactone and polylactic acid) that can last inside a patient\u2019s body for about six months \u2014 enough time (in theory) for the patient\u2019s cells to infiltrate the structure and take over. Although it\u2019s only been successfully tested in sheep so far, the long-term vision is for the resulting organic tissue to develop with human children as they mature, potentially voiding the need for risky replacement surgeries as their bodies grow. \u201cOur goal is for the patient\u2019s native cells to use the device as a blueprint to regenerate their own living valve tissue,\u201d said corresponding author Kevin \u201cKit\u201d Parker.<\/p>\n

In the researchers\u2019 test on a living sheep, the FibraValve \u201cstarted to function immediately, its leaflets opening and closing to let blood flow through with every heartbeat.\u201d Additionally, they observed red and white blood cells and fibrin protein collecting on the valve\u2019s scaffolding within the first hour. The scientists say the synthetic valve showed no signs of damage or other problems. \u201cThis approach to heart valve replacement might open the door towards customized medical implants that regenerate and grow with the patient, making children\u2019s lives better,\u201d said co-author Michael Peters.<\/p>\n

The research is still preliminary, and the team plans to conduct longer-term animal testing over weeks and months for further evaluation. However, they believe their breakthrough could eventually find other uses, including creating different valves, cardiac patches and blood vessels. You can read the entire paper<\/a> on Matter<\/em>.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https:\/\/www.engadget.com\/harvards-synthetic-heart-valve-is-designed-to-grow-in-step-with-the-human-body-180456235.html?src=rss
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\nSource: Engadget – Harvard\u2019s synthetic heart valve is designed to grow in step with the human body<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Researchers have developed a promising synthetic heart valve that may eventually be used for growing children. Harvard\u2019s Wass Institute and John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) created what they call FibraValve. This implant can be manufactured … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99,110],"tags":[98],"class_list":["post-1147830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-engadget","category-unfiltered-rss","tag-engadget"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1147830","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1147830"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1147830\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1147830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1147830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1147830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}