MEDICAL
HEART PATCH
OFFERS NEW HOPE
A prototype polymer patch capable of performing the same role as actual
heart tissue could be a gamechanger.
Words by Paul Fanning • Images Trinity College Dublin
Bioengineers from Trinity
College Dublin have
developed a prototype
patch that does the same
job as crucial aspects of
heart tissue.
Their patch
withstands the mechanical demands and
mimics the electrical signalling properties
that allow our hearts to pump blood
rhythmically round our bodies.
Their work essentially takes us one step
closer to a functional design that could
mend a broken heart.
One in six men and one in seven women
in the European Union will suffer a heart
attack at some point in their lives.
Worldwide, heart disease kills more women
and men – regardless of race, than any
other disease.
Cardiac patches lined with heart cells can
be applied surgically to restore heart tissue
in patients who have had damaged tissue
removed after a heart attack and to repair
congenital heart defects in infants and
children. Ultimately, though, the goal is to
18 » MARCH 2020 » WWW.MADEIN.IE
create cell-free patches that can restore the
synchronous beating of the heart cells,
without impairing the heart muscle
movement.
The bioengineers report their work,
which takes us one step closer to such a
reality, in the journal Advanced Functional
Materials.
“Despite some advances in the field,
heart disease still places a huge burden on
our healthcare systems and the life quality
of patients worldwide. It affects all of us
either directly or indirectly through family
and friends. As a result, researchers are
continuously looking to develop new
treatments which can include stem cell
treatments, biomaterial gel injections and
assistive devices,” said Michael Monaghan,
assistant professor in biomedical
engineering at Trinity, and senior author on
the paper. “Ours is one of few studies that
looks at a traditional material, and through
effective design allows us to mimic the
direction-dependent mechanical
movement of the heart, which can be
sustained repeatably. This was achieved
The team at Trinity College, Dublin
through a novel method called ‘melt
electrowriting’ and through close
collaboration with the suppliers located
nationally we were able to customise the
process to fit our design needs.”
This work was performed in the Trinity
Centre for Biomedical Engineering, based
in the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute
in collaboration with Spraybase, a
subsidiary of Avectas Ltd. It was funded by
Enterprise Ireland through the Innovation
Partnership Program (IPP). Gillian Hendy,
director of Spraybase is a co-author on the
paper. Hendy commended the team at
Trinity on the work completed and
advancements made on the Spraybase Melt
Electrowriting (MEW) System. The success
achieved by the team highlights the
potential applications of this novel
technology in the cardiac field and
succinctly captures the benefits of industry
and academic collaboration, through
platforms such as the IPP.
Engineering replacement materials for
heart tissue is challenging since it is an
organ that is constantly moving and
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