Scientific breakthrough: scientists have created a biorobotic heart that beats like a real one (video)
An interdisciplinary team of scientists managed to create a heart consisting of real heart tissue and soft robotic material.
The study, published in Device magazine, is an innovation that combines real heart tissue and modern soft robotic technology.
The device uses silicone muscles to pump blood, mimicking the complexity of the human heart. This opens up new perspectives for testing treatments and surgical procedures for heart disease.
Before a new technology can be used in patients, thorough safety and efficacy testing must be conducted. Compared to existing methods, such as simulators and animal models, the biorobotic heart provides a longer shelf life and the ability to fully mimic the structures of the heart.
Senior author and biomedical engineer Ellen Roche from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology emphasized that the device can be used as a research tool to study different conditions of the heart valve and to teach surgery.
The team focused on mitral regurgitation, a disease that affects 24.2 million people worldwide. The created biorobotic heart made it possible to perform successful surgical interventions, solving problems with the mitral valve.
The researchers express hope for widespread use of their invention, emphasizing its potential in training surgeons and providing new treatments to patients. The team continues to work on improving the technology to increase service life and reduce production time.
This scientific breakthrough opens up prospects for future medical innovations, perhaps even replacing the human heart with a synthetic one created using a 3D printer. The development of such technologies can lead to process improvements and benefit patients by accelerating the introduction of new treatments for heart disease.
