Harvard Researchers Print Functional Heart Tissue

By on March 28th, 2014 in Usage

Tags:

In a report delivered to the American Chemical Society, Harvard researchers state they’ve created a printed tissue that mimics natural heart muscle – working in a petri dish and when implanted in animals.

One of the biggest problems facing patients with heart damage is the fact that the organ’s tissues can’t be easily replaced. Often times a heart attack victims’ only option for treatment is dangerous organ implant surgery.

In an effort to provide cardiac patients with more options, a team of physicians and researchers from the University of Sydney, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School have developed a new 3D printed artificial cardiac tissue that can be used to repair damaged hearts.

“Our hearts are more than just a pile of cells,” said Ali Khademhosseini, a Ph.D. at Harvard Medical School. “They’re very organized in their architecture.”

Read more at ENGINEERING.com