Using Metamaterials and Cardiac Tissue Engineering to Engineer Robust and Contractile Cardiac Tissue Patches

Ventricular Septal Rupture (VSR) is a challenge in cardiac medicine with a high mortality rate of 45-60%. Current treatment methods use bovine pericardial patches (BPPs), which are non-contractile, tend to calcify over time, and fail to integrate effectively with the myocardium. Therefore, patients do not tend to fully recover cardiac function. To address these limitations, we are engineering a cardiac tissue patch that uses human stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes in hydrogel, reinforced with a metamaterial lattice. This approach allows us to tune the patch mechanical properties and contractility, while enabling stable implantation within the intraventricular space. Here, we will showcase our current results on metamaterial design and manufacturing, mechanical characterization (tunable stiffness and anisotropic ratio), and biological characterization (biocompatibility, cell maturation, and tissue contractility). In summary, we will show how metamaterials can be combined with engineered cardiac tissues to fabricate centimeter scale, three dimensional, and implantable cardiac tissues.