3D-printed bioresorbable heart valves could reduce operations

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a 3D-printed heart valve made of bioresorbable material that can adapt to the patient’s individual anatomy. After implantation, the valve is absorbed by the body and replaced by newly formed tissue. This development could be particularly beneficial for children with valvular heart disease, as current treatment methods often require multiple operations as the child grows.

The research team led by Lakshmi Prasad Dasi and Scott Hollister used a material called poly(glycerol dodecanedioate), which is biocompatible and has shape-memory properties. The heart valve can be folded up and implanted via a catheter and unfolds into its original shape in the body. Within a few months, the material is broken down while the body builds up its own tissue as a replacement.

“This technology is very different from most existing heart valves, and we believe it represents a paradigm shift,” said Dasi, the Rozelle Vanda Wesley Professor in BME. “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.”

“In pediatrics, one of the biggest challenges is that kids grow, and their heart valves change size over time,” said Hollister, who is professor and Patsy and Alan Dorris Chair in Pediatric Technology and associate chair for Translational Research. “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.”

A key advantage of this technology is the ability to produce patient-specific implants. Heart valves currently available are often made of animal tissue and have to be replaced after 10 to 15 years. For children in particular, this means repeated surgical interventions. The new method could support the growth of the natural heart valve and minimize long-term treatments.

“From the start, the vision for the project was to move away from the one-size-fits-most approach that has been the status quo for heart valve design and manufacturing, and toward a patient-specific implant that can outlast current devices,” explained Sanchita Bhat, a research scientist in Dasi’s lab who first became involved in the project as a Ph.D. student.

“Once you have an idea for an implant, it takes a lot of fine-tuning and optimization to arrive at the right design, material, and manufacturing parameters that work,” Joshi said. “It is an iterative process, and we’ve been testing these aspects in our systems to make sure the valves are doing what they’re supposed to do.”

The durability of the heart valve is currently being examined in simulation-based tests and at mechanical test stations. The research team is using special models to simulate the pressure and flow conditions of a human heart in order to optimize the mechanical properties of the material. The researchers hope that the technology can establish itself in the future not only for pediatric patients, but also in general cardiology as an alternative to conventional implants.

“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.”