Bioengineers have made a breakthrough that will make heart failure history in the future. Experts have developed the first biohybrid model of human ventricles with helically aligned beating heart cells. The study found that muscle alignment actually significantly increased how much blood the ventricle could pump with each contraction.
GREAT STEP IN ARTIFICIAL HEART PRODUCTION!
Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Heart disease, which is partially fatal, cannot repair itself after injury, unlike other organs. For this reason, artificial heart production, which will include the wholesale production of a whole human heart for transplantation, is among the most important medical initiatives of the future.
But it is known that building a human heart from scratch is not that easy. For artificial heart fabrication, researchers need to replicate the unique structures that make up the heart. These structures include recreating helical geometries that create a twisting motion as the heart beats.
It has long been argued that this rotating action of the heart is critical for pumping high volumes of blood, and it has been difficult to do, partly because it is difficult to create hearts with different geometries and alignments.
With recent developments, bioengineers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed the first biohybrid model of human ventricles with helically aligned beating heart cells, and actually developed the first biohybrid model of human ventricles of muscle alignment.
This development in artificial heart production, which is possible using Focused Rotary Jet Spinning (FRJS), could lead to the realization of a full-fledged artificial heart production in the future. The research in question was published in the journal Science.
“This work is a big step forward for organ biofabrication and brings us closer to our ultimate goal of building a human heart for transplantation,” said Parker, Professor of Bioengineering and Applied Physics about the study.