Development of rigorous engineering methods to improve replacement heart valves, based on thorough understanding of natural aortic valve mechanics as the ideal model, is a key focus.
Using a tissue microstructural approach, Institute researchers developed the first constitutive models for natural and chemically treated aortic valve cusp and bovine pericardium, and have clarified how cyclic fatigue induces complex structural and biomechanical changes in the bioprosthetic heart valve cusp. This information now assists them in improving tissue-engineered valve designs, including developing methods that enable tissue regeneration and cellular in-growth.
Please visit the Engineered Tissue Mechanics Laboratory.