{
  "id": 14503408,
  "title": "Functional Performance of Electrospun Tissue-Engineered Heart Valve Scaffolds Across Geometries Under Aortic Conditions",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/functional-performance-of-electrospun-tissue-engineered-heart-valve",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.13.758926v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Electrospun, bioresorbable polymer scaffolds present a promising approach for tissue-engineered heart valves (TEHVs) due to their fibrous microstructure, customizable mechanics, and ability to facilitate host-cell infiltration and remodeling. Recent studies on bioprosthetic heart valve (BHV) geometry have utilized silicone cast valves and Doppler echocardiography to correlate design parameters with hemodynamic performance and leaflet strain. However, the evaluation of the functional behavior of electrospun whole-valve TEHV scaffolds across various aortic conditions and different leaflet geometries has been limited.\n\nIn this study, a comprehensive workflow is introduced where polycaprolactone (PCL) is directly electrospun onto parametrized, 3D-printed mandrels created from two well-established analytical leaflet geometry models. This method results in the creation of 21 whole-valve scaffolds across five distinct geometries, all without the need for cutting or suturing of flat fiber sheets. The fiber diameter, orientation, and scaffold porosity were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy and were found to be consistent across all scaffolds and geometries.\n\nA subset of 8 scaffolds was subjected to testing in a pulse duplicator under hypotensive, normotensive, and hypertensive aortic conditions. The scaffolds achieved a mean geometric orifice area of 44.51% of the total valve area and exhibited normal physiological opening and closing behavior throughout these tests. These findings demonstrate that electrospun whole-valve TEHVs can function effectively under clinically relevant aortic conditions, highlighting their potential as a viable option for regenerative heart valve replacement. This approach also offers a reproducible, geometry-driven fabrication and evaluation framework, which can aid in the further development and translation of electrospun TEHVs into practical applications.",
  "summary": "Electrospun, bioresorbable polymer scaffolds represent a compelling platform for tissue-engineered heart valves (TEHVs) owing to their fibrous microstructure, tunable mechanics and inherent capacity to support host-cell infiltration and remodeling. While recent in-vitro parametric studies of bioprosthetic heart valve (BHV) geometry have used silicone cast valves and Doppler echocardiography to…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}