Automated Decellularization of Heart Valves

Abstract: Abstract—For those living today with severely malfunctioning heart valves, replacement is the only available treatment. Patients are today typically offered either mechanical valves, xenograft or allograft. Decellularized heart valves have the potential of becoming one of the standard alternatives for such heart valve transplants. Decellularized heart valves offer a reduced risk of calcification and immunogenicity compared to allograft, xenograft or mechanical valves and enables the valve to grow with the patient. The processes of decellularization is however labor intensive and time consuming, which severely limits access to decellularized transplants for patients. Automating this process would lower the cost and increase the reproducability of decellularized transplants. This paper will investigate in-depth how a decellularization device could be constructed, considering Computer Aided Designs, physical prototyping and software controlling the electronics. The device could also include decellularization programs for skin grafts and aortae. The final product will be made to reduce the labor of decellularizing tissue to the a press of a button, thus contributing to increasing availability of decellularized organs.