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McGowan Institute For Regenerative Medicine

To support efforts toward saving lives and improving the quality of life in end stage heart failure pediatric patients, The William G. McGowan Charitable Fund awarded a one-year grant to the University of Pittsburgh, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. 

The focus of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine is on the development of new regenerative medicine-based therapies and the rapid translation of these emerging technologies to clinical assessment and use. This grant supports studies in the development of therapies for cardiac failure and is aimed at improving survival rates and the quality of life in patients with heart failure. 

The research is addressing the development of mechanical circulatory support technology for infants and children.  While the success with ventricular assist devices (VADs) as bridges to transplant, or as bridges to recovery is widely recognized for adult cardiac patients, the pediatric sector for such therapies has been largely ignored until recently. Under the leadership of physician/scientist Peter Wearden, MD, PhD some dramatic progress is being made in the pediatric cardiac care sector. This research team is focusing on the development of miniaturized ventricular assist devices.  



As seen in the photograph, Dr. Wearden shows prototypes and mockups of experimental VADs.  An adult VAD is about the size of an adult fist, which is much too large for an infant, and adult VAD’s do not have the appropriate functionality required for cardiac support of an infant. Fulfillment of this need will permit the treatment of infants and toddlers that have cardiac afflictions.

McGowan Institute scientists and engineers are also studying under this grant methods to apply tissue engineering improve the current Fontan procedure to help ameliorate problems for patients born with univentricular hearts.  Since the since the advent of congenital heart surgery in the late 1950’s this affliction has remained one of the most difficult challenges for the surgeons and cardiologists caring for these children.  Improvements will assist in rates of recovery, provide increased longevity and quality of life for patients in need of this therapy.

Also, tissue engineering is being studied for use in instances where a patient survives a myocardial infarction, but the long term outcome can be adverse due to progressive ventricular failure as the weakened heart attempts to maintain cardiac output.  McGowan Institute researchers are studying the possibility of reversing the course of adverse cardiac wall remodeling through the use of hydrogel materials that would act as bulking agents for the infarcted ventricular wall. If successful, a post-infarct treatment could minimize progressive deterioration of the heart.

The McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine is a global leader in regenerative medicine research including projects in medical devices and artificial organ development; tissue engineering and biomaterials; cellular therapies; and clinical translation.