Researchers from the Disease Biology Group at Harvard have developed tissue-engineered replacement heart valves with a composition, multiscale architecture, and mechanical properties that mimic native valves. The researchers utilize a novel “jet spinning” manufacturing process that enables rapid and automated fabrication and creates aligned fibers that elicit endogenous tissue remodeling and repair.

These devices are an alternative to mechanical prosthetic valves, which are thrombogenic, and bio-prosthetic valves from xenogeneic tissues. They do not require sutures and are made without melt processing, reducing the risk of failure at high-stress points. These replacement valves have shown biocompatibility and functionality in in vitro studies.

This work was published in Biomaterials.