CAREER:Engineering Three-Dimensional Environments for the Generation of Functional Aortic Heart Valve Tissue

University Of New Mexico, Albuquerque NM

Investigators

Abstract

1351947 Dirk, Elizabeth This research will provide missing knowledge needed for the rational design of synthetic polymer environments to promote the production of functional aortic heart valve tissue. The community outreach focuses on biomedical engineering education from K-12 through graduate school. The research group assists in the exposure to and understanding of biomedical engineering to both teachers and students at a local minority-majority high school through talks, mentoring of problem based learning activities, and laboratory experiences. At the college level, a new educational track in biomechanics, biomaterials, and tissue engineering is being developed at the PhD level. This program will be the first university program with this focus in the state, and should lead to interest in this area of study for students in New Mexico. Tissue engineering holds tremendous potential for regenerating aortic heart valve tissue for use in place of artificial materials during valve replacement. A number of existing natural and synthetic materials have been examined for use as the biodegradable scaffolds for the in vitro generation of aortic valve tissue. However, none have been truly successful due to an incomplete understanding of the resident cell population, valvular interstitial cells (VICs). To that end, the objective is to systematically examine the effects of biomaterial chemical functionality on VIC attachment, growth, and tissue formation in three-dimensional environments, both alone and in co-culture systems with valvular endothelial cells. The research will provide missing knowledge needed for the rational design of synthetic polymer environments to promote the production of functional aortic heart valve tissue. Once tissue engineered valves become available, there is promise that complications associated with current valve replacements could be overcome. Additionally, a greater understanding of VIC behavior and regulation could lead to the elucidation of the initiating events of valve pathologies associated with overproduction of extra-cellular matrix (ECM). Thus, the work may lead to important advances in long-term therapies for heart valve dysfunction. It is also anticipated that the generated knowledge will be equally applicable to understanding and preventing the onset of valve disease. This CAREER award by the Biotechnology, Biochemical, and Biomass Engineering Program of the CBET Division is co-funded by the Biomaterials Program of the Division of Materials Research and by the Office of the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).