It has been reported that experts managed to create a biorobotic heart. Check out the latest details about this mind-blowing achievement below.
Experts create biorobotic heart
Scientists have created a biorobotic heart that beats like a living organ by combining real heart tissue with advanced soft robotic technology.
This breakthrough allows for the complexity of a human heart to be captured in a way that was not previously possible, and has the potential to revolutionize the testing of new treatments and surgical procedures for heart disease.
Before medical interventions can be used on real patients, they must be thoroughly tested for safety and effectiveness. Researchers have two options for heart-related procedures: simulators and animal models.
However, the current simulators are short-lived and cannot fully replicate all of the heart’s individual structures. Animal studies, on the other hand, are expensive, time-consuming, and controversial.
To reduce the need for live animals in research and testing, advances have been made in lab-grown organoids and the use of computer models or cell lines where possible.
Now, we can add a soft, robotic, beating heart to that list.
“The simulator has a huge benefit as a research tool for those who study different heart valve conditions and interventions,” said senior author and biomedical engineer Ellen Roche of MIT in a statement.
“It can serve as a surgical training platform for clinicians, medical students, and trainees, allow device engineers to study their new designs, and even help patients better understand their own disease and potential treatments.”
The team focused on a condition known as mitral regurgitation, which affects an estimated 24.2 million people worldwide. This disorder occurs when the mitral valve between the left atrium and ventricle of the heart fails to close properly, causing blood to flow in the wrong direction.
Patients may experience a range of symptoms, including shortness of breath, swollen limbs, and even heart failure if the condition is left untreated.
Although surgery can correct the problem, it is very complex due to the valve’s highly intricate structure. To develop a new method for studying a healthy and diseased mitral valve, the team utilized a pig heart as a foundation.
They removed the thick muscle surrounding the left ventricle and replaced it with a robotic silicone pump. When the pump was inflated, it exerted pressure and rotated the heart just like a real muscle, generating impressive blood-pumping power.