Computer-designed customized regenerative heart valve

For children born with defective heart valves, repair solutions are limited, mainly because a prosthesis has to be surgically replaced as the child grows.  To meet this problem, scientists at the University Zurich Hospital have used computer designed valves that predict the dynamic regeneration process, and cultured valves from living cells. These valves have been tested in sheep, but the researchers believe this is a step toward using a human’s own stem cells to grow an unfailing heart valve, noting that each patient’s potential for regeneration is different.  MORE

Image Credit:   University of Zurich Hospital and ScienceDaily.com