Today on World Heart Day Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research Associate Professor Elena Juan Pardo has been awarded $1M by AUScelerate.
The grant is to establish automated Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) ready manufacturing of bioengineered heart valves for clinical translation from the Targeted Translation Research Accelerator (TTRA).
Associate Professor Elena Juan Pardo is Laboratory Head of the tissue engineering laboratory, Transitional 3D Printing Laboratory for Advanced Tissue Engineering (T3mPLATE) at the Perkins and director of Corametix Pty Ltd.
Associate Professor Pardo is project lead with partners the University of Western Australia and the Heart Foundation.
Heart valve disease affects millions of people worldwide.
In Australia, it affects both older adults and younger people with rheumatic heart disease, who often need heart valve replacement much earlier in life.
Current replacement valves have important drawbacks: tissue valves can wear out and require replacement, while mechanical valves require lifelong blood-thinning medication.
These challenges can be even greater for people living in Aboriginal, remote and disadvantaged communities.
“This project will advance next-generation heart valve technology made from durable synthetic materials rather than animal tissue,” said Associate Professor Pardo.
“The goal is to provide a longer-lasting valve without the need for lifelong blood-thinning medication.
“Our heart valve uses bioengineered polymer leaflets with a patented microstructure produced using high-resolution 3D printing.
“Unlike animal tissue valves, which often degenerate, or mechanical valves that require lifelong blood-thinning medication, our design is based on how healthy human valves work.
“The valve is designed to be low cost, scalable, and compatible with automated manufacturing.
“In benchtop and acute animal testing, it has demonstrated functional performance comparable to healthy native valves, including low resistance to blood flow and a large effective orifice area.”
Perkins CEO Professor Peter Leedman AO said, “On World Heart Day, I would like to congratulate Associate Professor Elena Juan Pardo and her team on this significant grant, which will see work continuing on the bioengineered heart valves promising better health and wellbeing for patients with heart disease.”
This project is a collaboration with Dr Abdul Ihdayhid. Together, they formed Corametix, a spin-off company working to commercalise their invention once clinical trials are complete.
AUScelerate’s (formerly MTPConnect) heart and diabetes accelerator is investing $4.2 million into five home-grown medical devices for cardiovascular disease and leveraging an additional $6.3 million in sector investment.
The promising innovations from companies in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales include an early test for deep vein thrombosis, a new approach to heart valve replacement, an AI-software platform for analysis of arterial disease, a pulse sensing device to improve CPR, and paediatric vascular access technology for critical care.
