Tissue engineering using decellularized whole heart

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K10223
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Cardiovascular surgery
• Research Institution: Keio University (2016-2017); The University of Tokyo (2015)
• Principal Investigator: Kitahara Hiroto 慶應義塾大学, 医学部(信濃町), 助教 (70594729)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 岡本 一真 国立研究開発法人国立成育医療研究センター, 細胞医療研究部, 共同研究員 (10338064)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 脱細胞化 / 心臓 / 再細胞化 / 心筋再生 / 心臓移植 / 補助人工心臓

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Our goal is to create a whole beating heart fabricated on an organ scaffold for human heart transplantation. We successfully performed the first heterotopic transplantation of a decellularized whole porcine heart with mesenchymal stem cells. The porcine heart was harvested following cardiac arrest induced by a high-potassium solution and stored at -80℃ for 24 hours. The porcine heart was completely decellularized and sterilized with gamma irradiation. Cultured mesenchymal stem cells were collected and either infused into the ascending aorta or injected directly into the left ventricular wall. Finally, recellularized whole-heart scaffolds were transplanted into pigs under systemic anti-coagulation treatment with heparin. Coronary artery angiography of the transplanted heart graft was performed. The scaffolds endured surgical procedures, and we detected short-term coronary artery perfusion in the transplanted scaffolds by angiography.

Free Research Field

心臓移植