PITTSBURGH (March 10, 2020) — Approximately one in every 125
babies in the U.S. is born with a congenital heart defect (CHD), making it the
country’s most
common birth defect. Heart valves developed for adults have been used on
infants to treat CHDs, but the large devices sometimes require open heart
surgery, presenting a severe risk to infants and young children. Additionally,
infants and children grow quickly, but the artificial valve does not, resulting
in repeated surgeries that increase risks.
To address this issue, Youngjae Chun, PhD, an associate
professor of industrial engineering and bioengineering at the University of
Pittsburgh, is developing a new type of metallic frame for pediatric heart valves
that could not only be placed by a minimally invasive catheter-based procedure
but would also grow with the child, eliminating the need for follow-up
surgeries. The project recently received an award of $120,000 from the
Children’s Heart Foundation’s Liam
Ward Fund.
“Using a heart valve developed for an adult on an infant or
young child is considered an emerging technology, but they’re bulky and
typically require open heart surgery. Often, these patients are already too
weak or ill to undergo such major surgery,” explains Chun. “Our goal is to
develop a novel metallic valve frame that would eliminate the need for multiple
heart surgeries and their associated hospital stays, and one that would
actually grow with the patient.”
The proposed new valve will use two types of novel metallic
biomaterials: superelastic nitinol and biodegradeable metals like magnesium and
iron. Nitinol, an alloy of nickel and titanium, is known for its ability to
flex and return to its original shape. This flexibility allows the valve to be
compressed and placed by a small catheter inserted into a vein, rather than
through open heart surgery, presenting much less risk to the patient. Magnesium
and iron, on the other hand, would degrade over time, giving the valve the
ability to change and expand with the surrounding heart tissue as the patient
grows.
“No one wants to see their child go through multiple
surgeries before they’re even able to walk, but that’s the reality for
thousands of families every year,” says Chun. “With improved devices for these
young patients, we can give them a better quality of life and give their
parents greater peace of mind.”
If the project proves to be successful, Chun will be
collaborating with William Wagner, PhD, director of Pitt’s McGowan Institute
for Regenerative Medicine, and Antonio D’Amore, PhD, research assistant
professor in the departments of Surgery and Bioengineering, to develop it further.
The grant began on Jan. 1, 2020, and will last two years.
Maggie Pavlick, 3/10/2020
Contact: Maggie Pavlick