Development of a manufacturing process for textile biomimetic reinforcement structures, based on the example of an aortic valve replacement

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Stefan Jockenhövel
• Subject Area: Biomaterials ; Medical Physics, Biomedical Technology
• Term: from 2018 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 395116303

Most native tissue provides anisotropic mechanical properties that are based on load-oriented fibres. This load-oriented anisotropy is highly relevant for the long-term stability of the corresponding tissue. It is still a great challenge to consider this complex behaviour during the development of tissue replacement structures. Within the project a process to manufacture biomimetic reinforced scaffolds on the example of a biohybrid aortic valve replacement is developed and evaluated. The scaffold is realized as a composite structure containing fibres and hydrogel as specified below:(i) Placement of load-oriented fibres using a winding-process,(ii) fixation of fibre-placement via electrospinning and(iii) embedding of textile reinforcement structure in a fibrin-hydrogel-matrix as scaffold for in-vitro or in-vivo biologization for a biohybrid implant.Using the newly developed technology for the application as aortic valve replacement the following advantages are expected:(iv) physiological valve opening and closing behaviour(v) high load capacity of the composite suitable for the application in the systemic circulation (aortic and mitral valve) as well as a(vi) high long-term stability of the implant.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Professorin Dr. Petra Mela, Ph.D.