A team of MIT engineers, led by Manisha Singh, a postdoc at MIT's Institute for Medical Engineering and Science (IMES), has created a robotic replica of the heart's right ventricle that mimics the beating and blood-pumping action of a live heart. This robo-ventricle combines real heart tissue with synthetic, balloon-like artificial muscles, allowing scientists to control its contractions and study its natural valves and structures.
The innovative development accurately mimics the rhythmic beating and blood-pumping action observed in living hearts.
This artificial ventricle can simulate both healthy and diseased states, including conditions like pulmonary hypertension and myocardial infarction. It's also helpful in testing cardiac devices, such as mechanical valves, to repair natural malfunctions.
The robotic right ventricle, RRV, is a platform to study correct ventricle disorders and test therapies. Researching mechanical ventilation's effects on the right ventricle and preventing right heart failure in vulnerable patients is precious.
The right ventricle is a crucial but often overlooked heart chamber that pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs. Its complex anatomy makes it challenging to diagnose and treat heart diseases accurately.
The team used real heart tissue to create this model, as synthetic reproduction couldn't capture its delicate structures. They carefully preserved a pig's right ventricle, encased it in a synthetic myocardium, and controlled its contractions with balloon-like tubes.
This model accurately replicates the right ventricle's action and anatomy, making it a valuable tool for studying and potentially treating heart dysfunctions. It can also simulate conditions like irregular heartbeats and hypertension.
In addition to research, the RRV is a training ground for surgeons and interventional cardiologists. They can practice new techniques for repairing or replacing the tricuspid valve, crucial for preventing right heart failure.
While the RRV currently simulates function for a few months, the team aims to extend its performance and collaborate with device designers to speed up the path to patient use. There are also plans to create a similar artificial model of the left ventricle for a fully tunable artificial heart.
This groundbreaking research is supported, in part, by the National Science Foundation.
Source: https://news.mit.edu/2023/mit-engineers-design-robotic-replica-hearts-right-chamber-1208