Bristol researcher shortlisted for award for work on children's heart plaster

News / bristol university

By Edie Attridge, Wednesday Aug 2, 2023

A researcher from the University of Bristol has been shortlisted for the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) Research Story of the Year.

Massimo Caputo, BHF Professor of Congenital Heart Surgery in the Bristol Heart Institute at the University of Bristol, has developed the first type of mesenchymal cell patch that improves the way surgeons treat children living with congenital heart disease.

The ‘heart plaster’ repairs abnormalities in areas of the heart that control blood flow from the heart to the lungs. It will also mend holes between the two main pumping chambers of the heart.

Mesenchymal cells have the ability to evolve into a range of differing cell types, including muscle and cartilage.

Professor Saputo’s patches will have the capacity to grow with the child’s heart as they get older, therefore ruling out any need for more surgery as the child gets older.

New stem cell plaster [left] original surgical material [right] photo: British Heart Foundation

Heart defects are the most common abnormality to develop before a baby is born, with around 13 babies being diagnosed with congenital heart conditions every day in the UK.

Many of these children will receive open heart surgery to repair the defect. However, these can fail within months or years, meaning the child will have to go through the same heart surgery multiple times, keeping them in and out of hospital for weeks at a time.

The mesenchymal cell plasters have been designed to be sewn into the area of the heart that needs repairing during surgery. The cells will then boost the repair of heart tissue without the body rejecting them.

Every year in the UK there are around 200 repeat operations for those living with congenital heart disease, and researchers have estimated that this new technology will save the NHS £30,000 per operation that’s no longer needed, saving millions of pounds every year.

Professor Massimo Caputo

As part of @TheBHF’s #HeartHeroAwards, vote for Prof Massimo Caputo’s research project @BHIBristol into a ‘heart plaster’ to stop children needing repeated heart surgeries. Vote by 20 Aug at https://t.co/J5lDaZA5Pl

— Bristol Heart Institute (@BHIBristol) July 11, 2023

Professor Caputo aims to get these patches ready for patient testing within the next two years, enabling more children and babies to benefit from the life-altering technology. The materials used in the patches have been successfully and safely trialled on animals.

Professor Caputo said “For years families have come to us asking why their child needs to have heart surgery time and time again.

“Although each operation can be lifesaving, the experience can put an unbelievable amount of stress on the child and their parents. We believe that our mesenchymal cell patches will be the answer to these problems.

“My team and I are very proud to be shortlisted for the BHF’s Heart Hero Awards. It is an amazing recognition of all the work we have done to get to this point. We think that, with the BHF’s continuing support, these patches can soon be used widely to prevent the distress and dangers of repeated surgeries.”

All photos: British Heart Foundation

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