Irish researchers develop first valve model to replicate heart mechanics

In a groundbreaking development, Irish-based researchers have developed a model of a vital heart valve that mimics the behaviour of the human heart.

​Researchers from the Royal College of Surgeons University of Medicine created the artificial model of the mitral heart valve that mimics this valve’s mechanical behaviour.

​The mitral valve is one of the most important and complex in the heart, opening and closing around 100,000 times a day, making it critical to healthy heart function.

​The RCSI say that as global life expectancy increases, the number of people experiencing mitral valve conditions is expected to rise.

​The new low-cost mitral valve model can replicate the behaviour of the real valve, and this will now allow researchers to better understand how the mitral valve works, as well as develop ways to restore its function.

​Dr Claire Conway, Lecturer at the RCSI Department of Anatomy and Regenerative Medicine, praised the new development.

​She said: “Advancing our understanding of mitral valve function is dependent on developing synthetic alternatives that capture the valve’s complex mechanical behaviour, which is achieved in this study.

​“This model captures native anatomy, and the fabrication is precise and repeatable. Physical and digital tests of the valve revealed it successfully functioned under physiological flow and physiological pressure, representing a significant advance in the field.”

Dr Sina Javadpour, Postdoctoral Fellow at Trinity College Dublin, said: “This model gives us precise control over key features of the mitral valve while still reproducing the way it functions in the heart. “That makes it a powerful tool for studying valve disease and testing new repair strategies in a controlled laboratory environment.”