Regenerative Medicine

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Regenerative Medicine
Anita Mol, Carlijn Bouten, Simon Hoerstrup,
Frank Baaijens Laboratory for Tissue
Biomechanics and Tissue Engineering, Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University
of Technology
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Healthcare-transforming technologies
Minimally Invasive surgeryReducing patient
trauma and reduces costs
ImagingEarlier diagnosis saves lives and reduces
costs
Clinical IT Right Information at the right time
enables best treatment and reduces costs
Molecular MedicinePreventing disease from
happening and reduces costs
Regenerative medicineImplants taking over vital
bodily functions, improving quality of life
Adapted from Russ Coile, Futurescan 2003, SG-2
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Heart valves
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Valve replacements
300.000 replacements / year
Main drawback no growth, repair and adaptation
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Tissue Engineering Paradigm
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Proof-of-concept sheep cells
Hoerstrup et al. Circulation 2000
Implanted as pulmonary heart valve replacement
6 weeks
16 weeks
20 weeks
Not sufficient load-bearing properties to serve
as aortic valve replacement
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Challenge

• Develop a living, autologous valve replacement,
  able to grow, repair and adapt to changing
  environment using human cells
• Sufficiently strong for aortic (high pressure)
  side

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Strong, functional human valves!
Mol et al. Circulation 2006
Effective orifice area 1.52 ? 0.21 cm2 Mean
systolic gradient 11.5 ? 3.1 mm
Hg Regurgitation 18.2 ? 4.2
Dynamically conditioned tissue engineered human
heart valve
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Discussion
Tissue engineered human heart valves show
promising features as aortic valve replacements

• Functional parameters are in the range of those
  reported for commonly used bioprostheses
• Upcoming animal studies will elucidate short- and
  long-term functionality of tissue-engineered
  heart valves in aortic position and the
  capability of growth and remodeling

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Engineered tissues (In-vitro)
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Acknowledgements

• Eindhoven, BMT, TBME
• Dr. Anita Mol
• Drs. Marjolein van Lieshout
• Ir. Niels Driessen
• Ir. Ralf Boerboom
• Ir. Angelique Balguid
• Ir. Rolf Pullens
• Ir. Martijn Cox
• Ir. Mirjam Rubbens
• Christa Dam
• Katy Krahn
• Dr. Carlijn Bouten
• Dr. Marcel Rutten
• Dr. Claudia Vaz
• Dr. Gerrit Peeters
• Prof. Bas de Mol
• Prof. Frank Baaijens
• Eindhoven, BMT / ST, SMO

• Eindhoven, BMT, BEMI
• Prof. Klaas Nicolaij
• Dr. Gustav Strijkers
• Zürich
• Dr. Stephan Neuenschwander
• Dörthe Schmidt, MSc.
• Prof. Simon Hoerstrup
• Leiden, TNO TPG
• Dr. Ruud Bank
• Rotterdam, Dutch Heart Valve Bank
• Dr. J. van Kats, prof. A. Bogers
• Grants
• Bio-Initiative, Eindhoven University of
  Technology
• Vici grant, Netherlands Organisation for
  Scientific Research
• BioPolymers program, Dutch Polymer Institute

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