3D healing patches repair heart damage

3D bioprinted "heart patch" or repair damage from a heart attack. Photo Credit: Steve Gschmeisner/SPL
myocardial infarction, or heart attack, is a major killer that permanently damages myocardial cells. Researchers are interested in repairing damage using heart muscle cells made from stem cells in the lab, but integrating these cells into the heart has proved challenging.
George Washington University's Jay Lee and colleagues used 3D bioprinting technology to create retractable gel stents that match the curvature of the heart and expand and contract as the heart beats. After loading heart muscle cells made from stem cells, the heart patches were placed on the hearts of mice that survived an experimental myocardial infarction.
, in a recent study published in Scientific Progress, the authors say that four months later, the patches are still attached to the rodent's beating heart and have a blood supply. These patches also stimulate the formation of the heart muscle and provide a potential treatment for heart damage.
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DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb5067