3D printed heart valves have been around for years. In fact, in 2023 the Cureus Journal of Medical Science published Trends and Challenges in the Development of 3D-Printed Heart Valves and Other Cardiac Implants: A Review of Current Advances, which reported “tremendous progress” in 3D printed heart valve development in recent years, specifically noting improvements with biocompatibility, customization and functional performance. Regarding limitations, however, they explained that these heart valves still needed to be more affordable and scalable, and have enhanced biocompatibility, But now, a breakthrough is on the horizon. Researchers at Georgia Tech 3D printed heart valves that, for the first time, are bioresorbable and made of shape memory material.
Over five million people in the United States are diagnosed with heart valve disease every year. The disease happens when any of the four heart valves in the human body are diseased or damaged. These valves open and close to regulate blood flowing in and out of the heart, and diseased valves might not fully open and close, causing various uncomfortable symptoms and sometimes, fatalities. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, heart valve disease can often be treated with medicine, but more severe cases might require replacing the valve. Current replacement valves are usually made of animal tissue and must be replaced every 10 to 15 years. For children, the options are much slimmer, and treatment can require multiple reinterventions.
The bioresorbable heart valve (yellow)
The Georgia Tech project was the result of two teams joining forces. One team was led by Lakshmi Prasad Dasi, a leading researcher in heart valve function and mechanics, and the other championed by Scott Hollister, a top expert in tissue engineering and 3D printing for pediatric medical devices. Dasi explained their innovation’s distinctions, saying “This technology is very different from most existing heart valves, and we believe it represents a paradigm shift. We are moving away from using animal tissue devices that don’t last and aren’t sustainable, and into a new era where a heart valve can regenerate inside the patient.”
A heart valve regenerating inside a patient can especially benefit young patients. Hollister added, “In pediatrics, one of the biggest challenges is that kids grow, and their heart valves change size over time. Because of this, children must undergo multiple surgeries to repair their valves as they grow. With this new technology, the patient can potentially grow new valve tissue and not have to worry about multiple valve replacements in the future.”
Development and Testing
The team used a material called poly(glycerol dodecanedioate) to print the heart valves, which can be folded and delivered via a catheter, instead of open heart surgery. Once the implant reaches body temperature, it unfolds into its original shape. Afterward, the material signals to the body to make its own new tissue to replace the device. And in a few months? The original device will be completely absorbed.
Sanchita Bhat, a research scientist, and Srujana Joshi, a fourth-year Ph.D. student, are testing the heart valve’s viability through physical tests and computational models in Dasi’s lab. To analyze the valve’s performance, they have a human heart simulation that can match a real heart’s physiological conditions and simulate the pressure and flow conditions. Additionally, they have a machine that can put the valve through millions of heart cycles in a short time, testing its mechanical durability.
If Georgia Tech’s 3D printed heart valves are to make it to the operating room, they still have a long way to go. Going forward, they want the new technology to be a solution, especially for pediatric patients, who have limited options because of the disease’s rarity in children and high manufacturing costs.
“The hope is that we will start with the pediatric patients who can benefit from this technology when there is no other treatment available to them,” Dasi said. “Then we hope to show, over time, that there’s no reason why all valves shouldn’t be made this way.” To learn more about the project, read the article from Georgia Tech HERE.
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*All Image Credits: Georgia Tech