End-Products On The Go
Patient-Specific Small-Diameter Vascular Grafts
Unmet clinical needs exist in artery bypass surgery, peripheral vascular bypass, arteriovenous fistula creation, and vascular trauma repair. Using autologous blood vessels is often limited by availability, while alternatives such as cryopreserved homografts, decellularized xenografts, synthetic polymer grafts, and tissue engineered vessels often fail due to thrombus formation, intimal hyperplasia, immune rejection, or calcification, resulting in poor long-term patency.
This project aims to develop personalized small-diameter vessel grafts (2-6 mm in diameter and 0.2-0.5 mm in wall thickness) using patient-specific iPSC-derived vascular cells and biodegradable, cell-friendly, and cross-linkable biomaterials.
The middle layer of the graft is built from patient iPSC-derived smooth muscle cells using digital light processing of UV cross-linkable biomaterials; the outer layer is formed with patient iPSC-derived fibroblasts; and the inner layer is lined with patient iPSC-derived endothelial cells.
Patient-Specific Vascularized Heart Tissue Patches
Current heart tissue patches are made using allogeneic or exogenous cells on natural or synthetic biomaterials and lack an embedded vascular network. Without this network, the patches cannot connect to the patient's blood vessels to receive nutrients and oxygen immediately at transplantation. As a result, most of the transplanted cells die and the patches often trigger immune rejection.
Our innovation is to create a perfusable cardiac tissue patch by building a small artery and vein vasculature from the patient's own iPSC-derived vascular cells and embedding this vascular network within a matrix of patient-derived heart cells. The patch is engineered for optional strength and structure retention, and HLA typing is performed to ensure biocompatibility before transplantation.
At the time of transplantation, the artery and vein of the patch are surgically connected to the patient's blood circulation, allowing immediate blood flow through the transplant.
Patient-Specific Vascularized Dual Ventricular Assist Devices
Current left ventricular assist devices are a mechanical pump used for patients with advanced heart failure—as a temporary “bridge” to transplant or recovery, or as a permanent “destination therapy” for those ineligible for transplant. However, they carry significant risks, including infection, major bleeding (especially in the gastrointestinal tract), stroke, blood clots, device malfunction, and the need to remain connected to an external power source, which limited daily activities like bathing or swimming.
Our new technology aims to develop a vascularized dual ventricular assist device using patient's own iPSC-derived cardiovascular cells and hydrogel biomaterials. This device can be connected directly to the patient's blood circulation at transplantation, reduces the risk of immune rejection, and has the potential to serve as a permanent regenerative treatment for patients with end-stage heart failure.