Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Next-Generation Cardiac Tissue Engineering: Smart Self-Regulating Patches

Project description

Smart cardiac patches monitor regeneration in vivo

Myocardial infarction causes one of the coronary arteries that supply the cardiac tissue to block, leading to restricted oxygen supply in a segment of the heart. This results in cardiomyocyte death, but cardiac tissue healing and regeneration is limited. Tissue engineering has been proposed as a promising therapeutic alternative for ischemic heart disease. However, there is no way to monitor the performance of the engineered tissue. Funded by the European Research Council, the SmartCardiacPatch project aims to develop smart implantable cardiac patches that integrate electronics for real-time monitoring. The patch will comprise a 3D scaffold with cardiac cells and will enable physicians to track heart regeneration in real time and provide the opportunity for disease management.

Objective

Ischemic heart disease is a major cause of death in the Western world. There is no sustainable regenerative therapy available at the moment, with cardiac transplantation being the only therapy. However, tissue engineering is envisioned as a true regenerative therapeutic alternative. Despite the incremental improvements no technology is currently available that can provide on-line monitoring and reporting of the engineered tissue performance, and if needed, automatically activate regenerative processes. As one initial step in that direction, we have recently shown on a non-implantable chip-supported level that a sensory system can be integrated with engineered tissues, providing report on cardiac electrical activity.
In this proposal, I plan to expand far beyond the state-of-the-art and develop a conceptually new approach to engineer the next generation of smart implantable cardiac patches. These patches will integrate complex electronics with engineered cardiac tissues to enable on-line monitoring and at the same time self-regulation of the tissue function. Since cardiac performance will be recorded over time, physicians could follow heart regeneration in real-time, providing new means for the disease management.
To achieve this goal I will first develop new porous, stretchable and biocompatible microelectronics enabling electrical activity recording and stimulation. The electronics will interact with an efficient electroactive controlled release system enabling on-demand release of biomolecules. The system will be integrated with a 3D biomaterial scaffold and cardiac cells to compose the microelectronic cardiac patch (microECP). Development of feedback loop software will ensure efficient regulation of the patch’s function over time. Next, we will elucidate the interplay between the electronics, scaffold and cells, and provide a proof-of-principle for the microECP in vitro. Finally, we will investigate the regenerative potential of the system following infarction.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

ERC-STG - Starting Grant

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) ERC-2014-STG

See all projects funded under this call

Host institution

TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 499 500,00
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 1 499 500,00

Beneficiaries (1)

My booklet 0 0