A new 3D-bioprinted heart patch could help heal scarred heart tissue after a heart attack, according to an article in the April 14 issue of Circulation Research.
A team of bioengineers from the University of Minnesota, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham used laser-based 3D bioprinting techniques to incorporate stem cells derived from adult human heart cells on a matrix that began to grow and beat synchronously in a dish in the lab. The goal is to replace functioning heart muscle that is damaged during a heart attack (Circ Res, April 14, 2017, Vol. 120:8, pp. 1318-1325).
When the cell patch was placed on a mouse after a simulated heart attack, a significant increase in functional capacity was observed after just four weeks. And because the patch was created from cells and structural proteins native to the heart, it became part of the heart and was absorbed into the body, requiring no further surgeries, according to a release from the University of Minnesota. The study team has filed for a patent on the innovation.
The researchers are confident they can scale up the technology to repair the hearts of larger animals and potentially humans within the next several years, offering new options for heart attack patients.
