Lay summary
Tissue-engineered heart valves are being explored as new prosthetic alternatives for patients undergoing valve replacement surgery because current types of prostheses have each faced some limitation precluding their routine use.
Our protocol involves the creation of a connective tissue scaffold that may then be reseeded with living human cells to facilitate conduit growth, repair and remodelling after implantation.
Heart valve tissue engineering remains in its infancy. Thus, it is unsurprising that no conduit has clinically outperformed standard conduits. In this project, we will first engineer and build a novel bioreactor, which is a device that will be capable of approximating the biochemical and mechanical environment of native valves. We will then use the device to condition tissue-engineered heart valves for use in surgery.