Computational biomechanics and bioengineering 3D printing to develop a personalised regenerative biological ventricular assist device to provide lasting functional support to damaged hearts.

The BRAVꓱ project aims to develop a regenerative treatment for ischemic heart disease (IHD): an innovative biological ventricular assist device (BioVAD). It is a scaffold that is disposed over the injured area and helps the cardiac cells to make the contraction force needed for an adequate pumping. BRAVꓱ will develop a tailored structure that will be seeded with human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), creating cardiac tissue that will be integrated in the patient’s heart.

This approach aims to replace current ventricular assist devices (VADs) to provide temporal functional support to damaged hearts but can’t replace the function of the lost cardiac muscle.

As IHD is the leading single cause of death in the European Union, this approach aims to improve the patient’s quality of life with a single intervention.