AMBER Researcher develops hybrid grafts to combat cardiovascular disease

20 August 2024

Utilising advanced biofabrication technologies this research resulted in replication of the behaviour of a blood vessel and guiding structure to regenerate damaged tissue

AMBER PI and Associate Professor of Trinity College Dublin Dr David Hoey’s recent publication in collaboration with Professor Danny J Kelly details their work to generate hybrid grafts using Melt electrowriting (MEW) providing an innovative off-the-shelf alternative to address the unmet clinical need for small-diameter vascular grafts to help combat cardiovascular disease. Their paper ‘Muticomponent Melt-Electrowritten Vascular Graft to Mimic and Guide Regeneration of Small Diameter Blood Vessels’ was published in Advanced Functional Materials earlier this month.

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of morbidity. Current treatments include vessel substitution using autologous/synthetic vascular grafts, but these commonly fail in small diameter applications, largely due to compliance mismatch and clot formation. In this study, a multicomponent vascular graft, that takes inspiration from native vessel architecture, is developed to overcome these limitations. Melt electrowriting (MEW) is used to produce tubular scaffolds with vascular-mimetic fiber architecture and mechanics, which is combined with a lyophilized fibrinogen matrix with tailored degradation kinetics to generate a hybrid graft.

Lead Investigator and study author Associate Professor David Hoey said of the study “we developed a novel multicomponent vascular graft that was inspired by the layered architecture of native blood vessels. Utilising advanced biofabrication technologies such as melt electrowriting (MEW) we could produce tubular scaffolds, that when combined with a fibrinogen matrix, could not only replicate the behaviour of a blood vessel but could also act as a guiding structure to regenerate damaged tissue. This exciting off-the-shelf graft meets clinical requirements and is therefore a promising solution for addressing the unmet need for small-diameter vascular grafts.”

The graft satisfies ISO implantability requirements, matches the compliance of native vessels, and reestablishes physiological flow with minimal clot formation in a preclinical model.

3D bioprinting has emerged as a promising technology for engineering 3D ‘living’ biological tissues for promoting bone and tissue regeneration. The overall goal of TRANSITION led by AMBER’s Professor Daniel Kelly, a five-year project funded under Science Foundation Ireland’s Spokes programme, is to develop a new class of 3D printed biological implants that will regenerate, rather than replace, diseased joints.

ENDS

For more information contact: Amy Sweetman – Communications & Public Affairs Manager, AMBER, Trinity College Dublin, sweetmam@tcd.ie

Paper: ‘Muticomponent Melt-Electrowritten Vascular Graft to Mimic and Guide Regeneration of Small Diameter Blood Vessels’

Authors: Angelica S. Federici, Orquidea Garcia, Daniel J. Kelly, David A. Hoey

First published: 06 August 2024, Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202409883