British cardiac patients will soon be fitted with heart valves that grow naturally within the body, marking a significant advance in treating heart disease.
An initial group of over 50 patients is set to receive temporary valves made of fibres which will act as ‘scaffoling’ that canimplanted, integrate with the body’s cells.
Over time, the scaffolds dissolve, leaving behind a living valve composed entirely of the patient’s own tissue.
When heart valves become diseased, they may stiffen, or become leaky, increasing the risk of heart failure, stroke, or heart attacks.
Existing valve replacement options for patients have major drawbacks.
Valves taken from cows, pigs or human tissue and implanted in the patient only last a decade or so and can still be rejected by the body’s immune system. Mechanical valves require patients to take medicine for their entire lives.
Current treatments are extremely challenging for children born with heart defects, as the valves do not grow along with their bodies and must be replaced several times before they reach adulthood.
But the new valves can grow as the child grows as they become one with the patient’s body.
The project is being led by Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub (pictured), a renowned cardiac surgeon
An initial group of over 50 patients is set to receive temporary valves made of fibres which will act as ‘scaffoling’ that canimplanted, integrate with the body’s cells
The UK’s first heart-lung transplan was carried out at Harefield Hospital in northwest London (pictured) by Professor Yacoub
The project is being led by Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub, a renowned cardiac surgeon now in his 80s who carried out the UK’s first heart-lung transplant at Harefield Hospital in northwest London.
Every year, approximately 13,000 heart valve replacements are performed in England and 300,000 worldwide – and the numbers are growing each year.
The new living valve could transform these patients’ lives by eliminating the need for repeated surgeries and reducing the risk of rejection.
Dr Yacoub told the Sunday Times: ‘I always say nature is the greatest technology. It is so superior to anything we can make. Once something is living – whether that’s a cell, tissue, or [the living valve] – it adapts on its own. Biology is like magic.’
Research published in Nature Communications Biology showed promising results in sheep.
Within just four weeks of implantation, over 20 types of cells – including nerve and fatty tissue – were found in the correct locations, mimicking a natural heart valve.
Unlike previous attempts, this project, led by Heart Biotech at Harefield Hospital, has successfully encouraged the growth of nerve cells in the valve.
Within six months, the structure becomes entirely composed of living cells from the patient, and by one to two years, the scaffold dissolves, leaving behind a fully functional heart valve that grows with the patient throughout their life.
Research published in Nature Communications Biology showed promising results in sheep Pictured: Aortic valve illustration
Human trials involving between 50-100 patients, including children, are set to begin in 18 months.
The trials will compare the new living valve with conventional artificial valves and involve an international team of experts from institutions like University College London, Great Ormond Street Hospital, and medical centers in New York, Italy, and the Netherlands.
Dr. Sonya Babu-Narayan, associate medical director of the British Heart Foundation, hailed the development as ‘the holy grail’ for heart valve surgery.
She said: ‘It is early days, but if further research shows the approach is successful in humans, many people around the world could live well for longer without the need for repeated heart valve procedures.’
