New stem cell patches could repair babies’ heart defects permanently
Sometimes a child’s immune system will reject these foreign materials, and they’ll need to undergo surgery again, in as little as a few months. Even if that doesn’t happen, surgeons will need to replace the materials with larger versions as the child grows.
Each of these surgeries can mean weeks in the hospital, an increased risk of infection, and immeasurable stress on the child and their loved ones.
Massimo Caputo, a professor of congenital heart surgery at the University of Bristol, is now developing a better kind of patch for heart defects, inspired by his treatment of an infant named Finley.
Caputo is now using funding from the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to develop patches to repair congenital heart defects using stem cells sourced from donated placentas.
These cells can be 3D bioprinted into whatever shape and size is needed to repair a valve abnormality or mend a hole. After the patch is sewn into place via surgery, the cells should help repair the child’s heart tissue — without putting them at risk of rejection.
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