Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2007

Mentor: Kristine Guleserian, M.D.
Department: Pediatric Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Division
Room number: C3211 (CMC) and J9.320 Lab
Mail Code: 8835
Phone number: 214. 456. 5010
E-mail: Kristine.Guleserian@UTSouthwestern.edu
Project title: Development of Tissue Engineered Vascular Patches and Conduits for Repair of Congenital Heart Defects

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable):

Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): APN 1117-06-01-1

Project Type (patient-based research, animal based research, or basic research; this characterization is only to permit a general classification for grouping similar types of projects) animal based research

Brief Description of Project:
Many congenital heart defects involve significant narrowing or complete absence of the connection (including the entire pulmonary valve) from the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery also known as the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT). Surgical management of these defects currently involves either patching the area of narrowing or replacing the entire RVOT with a new tube-like graft with or without a valve. Unfortunately currently available materials only provide satisfactory short-term function and as they are made of nonliving tissue do not have growth potential and ultimately need to be replaced.

Tissue engineering is an emerging discipline which offers the potential to fabricate anatomically appropriate structures from the patient's own cells that are seeded onto a biodegradable and/or biocompatible temporary scaffold to produce "living tissue" for implantation as replacement structures.

In this project we plan to develop tissue engineered vascular patches and tube grafts (or conduits) from bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells that are seeded onto a naturally-derived collagen matrix scaffold. We will then implant these tissue engineered constructs into growing piglets and assess their function and growth potential over time. Additionally we will perform histologic analysis, immunohistochemical staining and extracellular matrix production assays after explantation of the constructs to gain a better understanding of how they adapt and remodel in vivo.

Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:

See attached list of publications. All underlined tissue engineering publications were based on laboratory work performed with medical students and residents in training.

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