Project
The REBORN project will aim to use smart and multifunctional biomaterials to deliver a new medical device in the form of a cardiac patch, to be applied to the heart in order to stimulate and support local heart tissue remodelling.
The piezoelectric patch will electromechanically couple with the heart and deliver anti- inflammatory, anti-fibrotic and cardiomyocyte proliferative factors on demand, with drug release triggered by ultrasonic (US) stimulation from outside the body. Development of the device will be based on new smart multifunctional materials: electrospun piezoelectric fibres.
Objectives
REBORN will exploit multifunctional biomaterials, bioinks, 3D technologies for scaffold fabrication and tissue engineering concepts to offer a solution for an unmet clinical need related to the heart failure which is the main cause of mortality in Europe and around the world.
Several biological functions will be stimulated via an engineered exploitation of different cues (e.g. chemical, topological and electromechanical) as well as an ad hoc developed ultrasonic system for a smart, triggered release of the incorporated therapeutics.
REBORN will deliver:
Development of a piezoelectric, electrospun patch containing multifunctional biomaterials able to combine multiple biological cues
Creation of an ultrasound stimulation platforms able to trigger the release of the therapeutics incorporated into the REBORN patch
Production of an advanced in vitro model to support the development and validation of the REBORN patch
Impacts
Myocardial infarction accounts for almost half of all deaths due to cardiovascular diseases: it causes about 2 million of deaths in Europe each year. 1 out of 3 people experiencing a myocardial infarction is on a fatal journey toward heart failure.
“Death in the EU due to coronary diseases in 2016. (Eurostat data 2016)”
Providing a multifunctional device based on new sustainable materials, to save lives and improve patient well-being while reducing healthcare system costs
Functional tissue recovery after myocardial infarction avoiding adverse heart remodeling and scar tissue formation
To potentially increase the survival rate after myocardial infraction by 15-20%, thus providing a longer and healthier life
