Editorial: Heart Valve Tissue Engineering: Are We Ready for Clinical Translation?

Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

article

Jesper Hjortnaes¹  M. M. Mokhles²  J. J. M. Takkenberg³  C. V. C. Bouten⁴ 

[1] Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center;Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Utrecht;Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Erasmus Medical Center;Department of Biomedical Engineering and Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology

关键词: tissue engineering;    valve;    biomedical engineering;    valve disease;    biotechnology;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fcvm.2021.658719

学科分类：地球科学(综合)

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

It has been 25 years since the first seminal paper on heart valve tissue engineering was first published by Dr. Shinoka and Dr. Breuer. Lead by Dr. Mayer, and in collaboration with Dr. Vacanti and Dr. Langer—all of whom are now considered visionary pioneers in their field— they collectively worked together to publish the first results of a tissue engineered heart valve leaflet in a lamb model (1). A new research field quickly developed, culminating into an active, ambitious, and driven research community across the globe motivated to develop a “living” prosthesis that outperforms inert valvular implants. It is only fitting to reflect on more than two decades of research in the pursuit of developing the perfect tissue engineered valve, particularly when put into the context of an immense growth in scientific output and topical journals in the “heart valve tissue engineering” realm (2). The original purpose of this endeavor is to develop a prosthetic valve that is tailormade, autologous, and which is able to exhibit adaptation to and grow with a patient. By employing these specific characteristics, a tissue engineered heart valve would overcome the well-established complications associated with current valve prosthesis, such as limited durability with bovine or porcine heart valve prostheses or bleeding-disorders and thromboembolic complications attributed to mechanical heart valves. Moreover, as a living growing valve, a tissue-engineered heart valve could provide a solution for patients with congenital heart disease who will need repeated heart valve replacement over the course of their lives.

【 授权许可】

CC BY