Project description DEENESFRITPL Artificial muscle for the implementation of cardiac contraction assist devices Current medical or surgical treatments cannot restore muscular contractility in heart failure and atrial fibrillation, the most common and serious cardiac diseases. A revolutionary approach would be to use smart materials to support or restore cardiac mechanical function. The EU-funded REPAIR project aims to explore and consolidate a new approach in cardiac contraction assistance. Researchers will develop biomimetic contractile units made from a liquid crystalline elastomer. The project prototypes will pave the way for new biomedical technologies that will lead to enhanced life quality and survival. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Heart Failure (HF) and Atrial Fibrillation (AF) are both associated with impairment of cardiac mechanical function. To assist ventricular contractility in HF, left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have been developed and demonstrated able to reduce mortality in patients awaiting transplantation, but enormous disadvantages largely limit their long-term use. In parallel, promising devices to mechanically assist atrial contractile function have been successfully tested in large animals but never reached the clinical use. Our revolutionary idea to solve these clinical challenges is to exploit smart materials to support or restore the cardiac mechanical function. Among smart materials, liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) are able to respond to external stimuli in a reversible manner to generate movement or tension. The REPAIR consortium has recently developed a novel LCE-based artificial muscle that under external light stimulation is able to enhance cardiac muscle contraction. These results pave the way for the development of a novel generation of cardiac assist devices. We will first develop a mechanical performant and energetically efficient LCE material that, integrated with light sources (µLED array), will result in fundamental biomimetic contractile units to be structured in a suturable, remote controlled contractile tissue. The LCE-µLEDs contractile tissue will be exploited to develop a new generation of cardiac assist devices (e.g. ventriculoplasty patches, aortic rings for diastolic counterpulsation and epicardial bundles for atrial contraction assistance) and test the effects of their acute implantation in large mammals (open-chest sacrifice experiments) and human explanted hearts. Among LCE-device features: they will be self-contracting, low weight, associated with low thromboembolic risk, and most importantly, they will rely on a control unit that can modulate the exerted force providing the fist “tunable” cardiac assist device ever developed. Fields of science medical and health sciencesmedical biotechnologytissue engineeringmedical and health sciencesclinical medicinecardiologymedical and health sciencesmedical biotechnologyimplants Keywords smart materials artificial muscles cardiac contraction assistance implantable autonomous devices and materials Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.2. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) Main Programme H2020-EU.1.2.2. - FET Proactive Topic(s) FETPROACT-EIC-05-2019 - FET Proactive: emerging paradigms and communities Call for proposal H2020-FETPROACT-2019-2020 See other projects for this call Sub call H2020-EIC-FETPROACT-2019 Funding Scheme RIA - Research and Innovation action Coordinator UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI FIRENZE Net EU contribution € 954 493,75 Address Piazza san marco 4 50121 Florence Italy See on map Region Centro (IT) Toscana Firenze Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 Participants (11) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all SCUOLA SUPERIORE DI STUDI UNIVERSITARI E DI PERFEZIONAMENTO S ANNA Italy Net EU contribution € 312 500,00 Address Piazza martiri della liberta 33 56127 Pisa See on map Region Centro (IT) Toscana Pisa Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 Third-party Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure. FONDAZIONE TOSCANA GABRIELE MONASTERIO PER LA RICERCA MEDICA E DI SANITA PUBBLICA Italy Net EU contribution € 170 000,00 Address Via trieste 41 56126 Pisa See on map Region Centro (IT) Toscana Pisa Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 UNIVERSITEIT MAASTRICHT Netherlands Net EU contribution € 505 500,00 Address Minderbroedersberg 4 6200 MD Maastricht See on map Region Zuid-Nederland Limburg (NL) Zuid-Limburg Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 SZEGEDI TUDOMANYEGYETEM Hungary Net EU contribution € 230 000,00 Address Dugonics ter 13 6720 Szeged See on map Region Alföld és Észak Dél-Alföld Csongrád Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT DELFT Netherlands Net EU contribution € 296 470,00 Address Stevinweg 1 2628 CN Delft See on map Region West-Nederland Zuid-Holland Delft en Westland Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE Italy Net EU contribution € 270 000,00 Address Piazzale aldo moro 7 00185 Roma See on map Region Centro (IT) Lazio Roma Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 CENTRE HOSPITALIER UNIVERSITAIRE VAUDOIS Switzerland Net EU contribution € 135 625,00 Address Rue du bugnon 21 1011 Lausanne See on map Region Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera Région lémanique Vaud Activity type Public bodies (excluding Research Organisations and Secondary or Higher Education Establishments) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 MEDTRONIC BAKKEN RESEARCH CENTER B.V. Netherlands Net EU contribution € 502 968,75 Address Endepolsdomein 5 6229GW Maastricht See on map Region Zuid-Nederland Limburg (NL) Zuid-Limburg Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 BICO GROUP AB Sweden Net EU contribution € 270 000,00 Address Arvid wallgrens backe 20 413 46 Goteborg See on map SME The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed. Yes Region Södra Sverige Västsverige Västra Götalands län Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 SPECIFIC POLYMERS France Net EU contribution € 262 150,00 Address Avenue des cocardieres 150 zac via domitia 34160 Castries See on map SME The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed. Yes Region Occitanie Languedoc-Roussillon Hérault Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 Third-party Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure. SPECIFIC POLYMERS ANALYSES Participation ended France Net EU contribution € 0,00 Address 150 avenue des cocardieres zac via 34160 Castries See on map SME The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed. Yes Region Occitanie Languedoc-Roussillon Hérault Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00
