A feasibility study of a multimodal stimulation bioreactor for the conditioning of stem cell seeded cardiac patches via electrical impulses and pulsatile perfusion.

Background/objective: Ischemic heart disease is a major cause of mortality worldwide. Myocardial tissue engineering aims to create transplantable units of myocardium for the treatment of myocardial necrosis caused by ischemic heart disease - bioreactors are used to condition these bioartificial tissues before application.

Methods: Our group developed a multimodal bioreactor consisting of a linear drive motor for pulsatile flow generation (500 ml/min) and an external pacemaker for electrical stimulation (10 mA, 3 V at 60 Hz) using LinMot-Talk Software to synchronize these modes of stimulation.

Successful decellularization of thick-walled tissue: Highlighting pitfalls and the need for a multifactorial approach.

Introduction:: Decellularization of thick tissue is challenging and varying. Therefore, we tried to establish a multifactorial approach for reliable aortic wall decellularization.

Methods:: Porcine aortic walls were decellularized according to different procedures.

Is Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation of Living Tissue-Engineered Valves Feasible? An In Vitro Evaluation Utilizing a Decellularized and Reseeded Biohybrid Valve.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a fast-growing, exciting field of invasive therapy. During the last years many innovations significantly improved this technique. However, the prostheses are still associated with drawbacks.

In vitro comparison of novel polyurethane aortic valves and homografts after seeding and conditioning.

The aim of the study was to compare the behavior of seeded cells on synthetic and natural aortic valve scaffolds during a low-flow conditioning period. Polyurethane (group A) and aortic homograft valves (group B) were consecutively seeded with human fibroblasts (FB), and endothelial cells (EC) using a rotating seeding device. Each seeding procedure was followed by an exposure to low pulsatile flow in a dynamic bioreactor for 5 days.

Use of a special bioreactor for the cultivation of a new flexible polyurethane scaffold for aortic valve tissue engineering.

Background: Tissue engineering represents a promising new method for treating heart valve diseases. The aim of this study was evaluate the importance of conditioning procedures of tissue engineered polyurethane heart valve prostheses by the comparison of static and dynamic cultivation methods.

Methods: Human vascular endothelial cells (ECs) and fibroblasts (FBs) were obtained from saphenous vein segments.