- Engineered tissue supply
- New product concepts
- Stent and valve design and manufacturing
- Delivery system design and manufacturing
- Ex-vivo and preclinical in-vivo evaluations
- Product development execution
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News
New Publication in Science Translational Medicine
Recently published research from Professor Robert Tranquillo’s laboratory, using the tissue technology licensed by Vascudyne, showed pulmonary replacement valves made from the cell-derived matrix functioned for 52 weeks in the highly calcific growing lamb model. Notably, the surgical valves recellularized and increased in diameter consistent with lamb growth while maintaining function. Additionally, the cell-derived matrix had significantly less calcification compared to clinically used bioprosthetic valves. This new data supports the potential utility of the naturally derived biomaterial in pediatric populations for right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction.
“This is a huge step forward in pediatric heart research,” said Robert Tranquillo, the senior researcher on the study and a University of Minnesota professor in the departments of Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering & Materials Science. “This is the first demonstration that a valve implanted into a large animal model, in our case a lamb, can grow with the animal into adulthood. We have a ways to go yet, but this puts us much farther down the path to future clinical trials in children. We are excited and optimistic about the possibility of this actually becoming a reality in years to come.”
“If we can get these valves approved someday for children, it would have such a big impact on the children who suffer from heart defects and their families who have to deal with the immense stress of multiple surgeries,” Tranquillo said. “We could potentially reduce the number of surgeries these children would have to endure from five to one. That’s the dream.”
The lead author, Dr. Zeeshan Syedain, senior research associate in the Tranquillo Laboratory, and Professor Tranquillo are co-inventors of the underlying intellectual property licensed to Vascudyne, Inc. that is used to produce this novel pediatric valve. Tranquillo adds, "I have valued our partnership with Vascudyne since adopting our biologically-engineered matrix as its material platform, and I expect their first in man results will greatly benefit our quest for our own clinical trial.
To read the full article on Pediatric Tri-tube Valved Conduits Made from Fibroblast-produced Extracellular Matrix Evaluated over 52 Weeks in Growing Lambs, visit Science Translational Medicine.