Lab made tri-tube heart valves could reduce surgeries

The valves, developed in a study led by University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers, also showed reduced calcification and improved blood flow function compared to animal-derived valves currently used when tested in the same growing lamb model.

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If confirmed in humans, these new heart valves could prevent the need for repeated valve replacement surgeries in thousands of children born each year with congenital heart defects. The valves can also be stored for at least six months, providing surgeons with an ‘off the shelf’ option for treatment.

The study has been published in Science Translational Medicine and the valve-making procedure has been patented and licensed to Vascudyne, Inc. a University of Minnesota start-up.

"This is a huge step forward in paediatric heart research," said Robert Tranquillo, the senior researcher on the study and a University of Minnesota professor in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science. "This is the first demonstration that a valve implanted into a large animal model, in our case a lamb, can grow with the animal into adulthood. We have a way to go yet, but this puts us much farther down the path to future clinical trials in children."