Myocardial infarction is a major health concern worldwide, with limited options available to effectively treat the injured cardiac tissue and restore full cardiac health. Cardiomyocytes, a major component of cardiac tissue have poor regenerative properties. This means that after a major incident that causes damage to the myocardial tissue such as a heart attack or ischemic heart disease, cardiomyocytes struggle to replace the cells that have been lost. After injury, infiltrating and resident macrophages regulate inflammation, a necessary process that is required for tissue clearance and repair. However, in the context of cardiac tissue it can be chronic and dysregulated, leading to generation of scarred tissue and impaired functioning of the heart, and despite best efforts in treating the injury, a poor prognosis for the person involved is predicted.
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PiezoMac project aims to address these issues through the engineering of a smart piezoelectric biomaterial cardiac patch that will use the kinetic beating of the heart to generate immunomodulator electric fields and promote cardiac regeneration after myocardial infarction. A novel additive manufacturing technique - melt electrowriting (MEW) - will be employed to fabricate these novel cardiac patches with an auxetic pattern matching the anisotropy of the myocardium. Finite element modelling and in silico modelling will be used to efficiently guide the patch design process. Design and biomaterials will be optimised to meet both the native heart muscle mechanical demands and an adequate level of piezoceutical stimulation. It will regulate macrophage polarisation from an inflammatory state towards a more immunomodulatory role and promote the regeneration of new cardiac tissue. Overall, PiezoMac seeks to regulate the repair of damaged, ischemic tissue directly at the site of injury and without replacing the tissue, modulating inflammation in situ and supporting the impaired mechanics of the infarcted myocardium.