Cardiac patch development

A joint project to develop a long-lasting regenerative patch for cardiac-repair applications will receive support from a program created by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to promote collaboration between the medical and industrial fields. Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki, Fukui Warp Knitting Co. Ltd., Fukui City, and Teijin Limited, Tokyo, are working together to combine bio-absorbable and non-bio-absorbable polymers to develop a patch with a strong, expansive structure for cardiovascular surgeries that will solve safety and handling problems of existing patches. Current non-absorbable polymers do not achieve the expansion property required for long-term use with beating, growing hearts, resulting in the need for repeated surgeries to replace the patches.