3D Printed ‘Band-Aid’ for the Heart Could Help Heal Cardiac Tissues

Whether as a result of a heart attack, a disease like diabetes, smoking, drugs or an accident, damage to the heart is slow to heal by itself and often requires surgical intervention to prolong lifespan. But what if it was possible to repair it with artificial tissues? A University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) team, in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania, have developed a new way to 3D print a material that is both elastic and tough, making it capable of withstanding the heart’s beating. The result? A 3D printed ‘band-aid’ for the heart that could change the way that doctors replace or repair human body parts.

One of the key issues in developing materials for the heart is that it is necessary to be both strong and stretchy, while still being customizable in terms of shape and size for each patient. This is due to the nature of the organ: the constant beating means it is not possible to have a rigid plastic that is adhered to it. The material needs to be able to change with the heart, rigidity would result in fracturing. This means that biomedical devices and implants traditionally made with injection molding or casting are just not practical. Adding to that the fact that heart damage is both deadly and unable to be healed naturally, this material which could be used as a 3D printed ‘band-aid’ for the heart could really revolutionize cardiac patient care.

The stretchy material can be used as a 3D printed ‘band-aid’ for a heart

Senior author Jason Burdick, a professor of chemical and biological engineering at CU Boulder’s BioFrontiers Institute, further explains, “Cardiac and cartilage tissues are similar in that they have very limited capacity to repair themselves. When they’re damaged, there is no turning back. By developing new, more resilient materials to enhance that repair process, we can have a big impact on patients.”