Cardiovascular tissue engineering aims to treat heart disease with prostheses that grow and regenerate. In contrast to artificial implants, the bioengineered versions do not cause immune reactions in the patient’s body nor do they have to be regularly replaced.
Working in collaboration with colleagues at the Eindhoven University of Technology and Charité Berlin, researchers at the University of Zurich (UZH) have now succeeded in using computer simulations to individually predict how well cultured heart valves would grow, regenerate and function in sheep.
“Thanks to the simulations, we can optimise the design and composition of the regenerative heart valves and develop customised implants for use in therapy,” says UZH Professor Simon P. Hoerstrup in a press release. In particular, computer simulations help to predict changes to the structure of the heart valve that occur in the body during the dynamic regeneration process. As a result, they can be anticipated in the design accordingly.
Using the Zurich-developed tissue engineering technology, researchers have now successfully implanted regenerative heart valves into sheep for the first time. UZH says that this marks a significant step towards the routine application of this technology in future.
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