DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Munich Heart Alliance

3 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Medicine

Development and Evaluation of 3D-Printed Cardiovascular Phantoms for Interventional Planning and Training

Maximilian Grab^1,2, Carina Hopfner³, Alena Gesenhues⁴, Fabian König^1,2, Nikolaus A. Haas³, Christian Hagl¹, Adrian Curta⁴, Nikolaus Thierfelder¹

¹Department of Cardiac Surgery, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, ²Chair of Medical Materials and Implants, Technical University of Munich, ³Department Pediatric Cardiology and Pediatric Intensive Care, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, ⁴Department of Radiology, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich

Here we present development of a mock circulation setup for multimodal therapy evaluation, pre-interventional planning, and physician-training on cardiovascular anatomies. With the application of patient-specific tomographic scans, this setup is ideal for therapeutic approaches, training, and education in individualized medicine.

Medicine

Combining 3D-Printing and Electrospinning to Manufacture Biomimetic Heart Valve Leaflets

Benedikt Freystetter¹, Maximilian Grab^1,2, Linda Grefen¹, Lara Bischof¹, Lorenz Isert³, Petra Mela², Deon Bezuidenhout⁴, Christian Hagl^1,5, Nikolaus Thierfelder¹

¹Department of Cardiac Surgery, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, ²Chair of Medical Materials and Implants, Technical University Munich, ³Faculty for Chemistry and Pharmacy, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, ⁴Cardiovascular Research Unit, University of Cape Town, ⁵DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Munich Heart Alliance

The presented method offers an innovative way for engineering biomimetic fiber structures in three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds (e.g., heart valve leaflets). 3D-printed, conductive geometries were used to determine shape and dimensions. Fiber orientation and characteristics were individually adjustable for each layer. Multiple samples could be manufactured in one setup.

Biology

An In Vitro Assay to Study Platelet Migration Using RGD-Functionalized Avidin-Biotin Tethers

Shuxia Fan^1,2, Ben Raude^1,2,3, Florian Gaertner^1,2,4,5

¹Department of Medicine I, University Hospital, LMU Munich, ²Institute of Surgical Research at the Walter Brendel Centre of Experimental Medicine, University Hospital, LMU Munich, ³Department of Vascular Surgery, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, ⁴Interfaculty Center for Endocrine and Cardiovascular Disease Network Modelling and Clinical Transfer, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, ⁵DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner site Munich Heart Alliance

A detailed protocol for imaging single migrating platelets using RGD-functionalized avidin-biotin tethers with tunable density is provided, revealing that platelets generate enough force to rupture the avidin-biotin bond.