“Ours is one of few studies that looks at a traditional material, and through effective design allows us to mimic the direction-dependent mechanical movement of the heart, which can be sus-tained repeatably. As a result, researchers are continuously looking to develop new treatments, which can include stem cell treatments, biomaterial gel injections, and assistive devices.” It affects all of us either directly or indirectly through family and friends. “Despite some advances in the field, heart disease still places a huge burden on our healthcare systems and the life quality of patients worldwide,” says Michael Monaghan, Ussher assistant professor in biomedical engineering at Trinity, and senior author on the paper. The bioengineers report their work, which takes us one step closer to such a reality, in the journal Advanced Functional Materials. Ultimately, though, the goal is to create cell-free patches that can restore the synchronous beating of the heart cells, without impairing the heart muscle movement. (Credit: Trinity College Dublin)Ĭardiac patches lined with heart cells can be applied surgically to restore heart tissue in patients who have had damaged tissue removed after a heart attack and to repair congenital heart defects in infants and children.
#Prototype 1 patch Patch#
The patch supported electrical conduction between biological tissue in an ex vivo model. Worldwide, heart disease kills more women and men, regardless of race, than any other disease. One in six men and one in seven women in the EU will suffer a heart attack at some point in their lives. Their work essentially takes us one step closer to a functional design that could mend a broken heart. Their patch withstands the mechanical demands and mimics the electrical signaling properties that allow our hearts to pump blood rhythmically around our bodies. Bioengineers from Trinity have developed a prototype patch that does the same job as crucial aspects of heart tissue.