In the United States, heart valve disease affects 5.2 million people, and 156,000 heart valve procedures are performed every year. There are two main commercial products used in aortic valve replacement—either a tissue valve transplanted from a bovine or porcine donor or a metal, mechanical valve. Both valve types have lifespan limitations, and developing a self-healing valve from human tissue requires a lot of work.
To develop self-healing valves, many research designs use a bottom-up approach based around “growing” a valve using cells and scaffolding. Instead, CaRE's prosthetic heart valve fabrication technique uses a top-down approach. In this innovative approach, CaRE is attempting to 3D print and electrospin cells to create layered tissue into a predesigned 2D sheet. In a fashion similar to origami, the sheet then folds into three dimensions to create a functional valve. This method aims to enhance the structural integrity of the valve, and potentially improve the longevity and performance of the prosthetic heart valves, offering a new solution for patients suffering from heart valve disease.
Brandon J. Tefft, Ph.D.Principal Investigator
William YuanProject Lead
Tefft BJ, Choe JA, Young MD, Hennessy RS, Morse DW, Bouchard JA, Hedberg HJ, Consiglio JF, Dragomir-Daescu D, Simari RD, Lerman A. Cardiac Valve Bioreactor for Physiological Conditioning and Hydrodynamic Performance Assessment. Cardiovasc Eng Technol. 2019 03;10(1):80-94 PMID: 30311149 PMCID: PMC6541400 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85061993924 10/13/2018
Jana S, Tefft BJ, Spoon DB, Simari RD (2014). Scaffolds for tissue engineering of cardiac valves. Acta Biomaterialia, 10(7): 2877-2893. [PMID: 24675108]
Spoon DB, Tefft BJ, Lerman A, Simari RD (2013). Challenges of biological valve development. Interventional Cardiology, 5(3): 319-334.
