Tissue Engineered Heart Valve (TEHV) Project
Introduction: The aortic valve (AV) is located between the left ventricle and the aorta. It consists of three leaflets that open during systole to allow the passage of blood from the ventricle into the aorta, and close during diastole to prevent the blood from flowing back into the ventricle. Therefore, the valve leaflets constantly experience a combination of forces such as fluid shear stress, stretch and pressure.
Studies indicate that pathological mechanical loading experienced by the leaflets may lead to inflammation, calcification, stenosis, and ultimate failure. The bulk of research to date has focused on gross pathology and surgical treatments. Unfortunately, the molecular, cellular, and tissue-level events involved in these processes are not well characterized.
In order to address this issue, the Tissue Engineered Heart Valve (TEHV) project aims at studying the effects of various mechanical stimuli on porcine valve biology in ex vivo culture systems that guide cell organization and control cell-matrix interactions.
Chosen biological end-points include collagen synthesis, sulfated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) synthesis, cell proliferation, tissue morphology, markers for different cell phenotypes, and markers for calcification and inflammation.
Ultimately, the characterization of the valvular biological response will provide insights into normal valve function and valve pathology, and permit the design of bioreactors for the preconditioning and evaluation of tissue-engineered heart valve constructs.
Specific studies:
- Effects of cyclic stretch on aortic valve biology
- Effects of normal and altered shear stress on intact and denuded aortic valve leaflets
- Effects of hypertension and tachycardia on aortic valve biology
