Piezoceutical biomaterial scaffolds for immunomodulatory-based myocardial repair

Introduction

Cardiac injury in the form of a myocardial infarction leads to cardiac muscle death and replacement scar tissue that cannot compensate for lost heart tissue. This disease does not improve with traditional drugs and places a significant burden on healthcare budgets worldwide, resulting in a reduced quality of life for patients, often leading to heart failure.

Current Challenges

Current engineered cardiac patches do not reduce inflammation and do not integrate in a sufficient manner to compensate for the pumping power lost with the heart tissue.

The PiezoMac Patch

The PiezoMac patch differs fundamentally from patches reported up to now. It will contain an optimised piezoelectric capability that will yield electric fields generated by the stretching of the heart.

Electric Field Stimulation

This electric field stimulation will be optimised to drive immunomodulation and regeneration of the cardiac muscle.

Design and Manufacturing

The shape of the patch is pre-designed using finite element modelling to conform to the directional dependent stretching of the heart wall. Information about patient anatomy and the extent of heart attack damage will be derived from X-ray CT and MRI scans.

3D Printing Process

These smart patches will be 3D printed (using melt electrowriting) into accurate microfibrous ordered patches. The characteristics of these patches will include:

• Density
• Micro-orientation
• Fibre laydown

These features will be informed using in silico modelling of piezoelectric generation and mechanical anisotropy.

Design Optimization

We will shortlist candidate mesh designs to match the anisotropy of the heart using finite element analysis. Additionally, we will refine the design process using a Bayesian Optimisation approach to strike a balance between mechanical anisotropy and piezoelectric output, ultimately aiming to halt cardiac deterioration.

Conclusion

This pragmatic and rational approach gathers and advances cutting-edge technologies in this interdisciplinary project to address a significant unmet need in healthcare today.