Development of a Gal-free Calcification Resistant Porcine Pericardial Heart Valve: Establishment of Biological Tissue Equivalence.

Heart valves control the normal flow of blood through the lungs and body. These valves may be damaged because of birth defects, old age, or infection. This damage may require heart valves to be replaced with artificial valves to improve the quality of life of heart valve disease patients or to save their lives. There are about 300,000 heart valve replacements worldwide each year. Replacement valves are either mechanical, made of carbon and metal, or biological, made of non-living tissue generally obtained from pigs or cows. Patients and doctors tend to prefer biological heart valves (BHVs) because they generally do not require blood thinners, which are needed with mechanical valves. In younger patients (<60 years) and in children, BHVs wear out more rapidly, sometimes within 5 years. BHVs fail because they build up bone-like deposits of calcium, which weaken the valve, leading to tears, or obstructed blood flow as the calcium deposits block the opening of the valve. Scientists and commercial valve companies have long sought to produce BHVs, which do not calcify, because these could be used in younger patients without the need for blood thinners. So far, calcification-blocking treatments have been able to reduce valve calcification when tested in animals, but have not been able stop calcification in patients or reliably allow the use of BHVs in younger adults. We identified a type of rejection that makes calcification worse in BHV material. This rejection is unique to humans as the human immune system reacts with a substance, called Gal present on BHVs. To block this rejection reaction we have genetically altered pigs that can be used to make BHVs called Gal knockout pigs. The Gal knockout pigs are healthy and normal and their Gal-free tissue has reduced calcification. Before using Gal knockout tissue in patients, we need to be certain the genetic change in Gal knockout pigs has not had a damaging effect on the tissues used to make these BHVs. We have compared the tissues in current standard and Gal knockout BHVs and used simple tests, such as measuring how hard it is to stretch and tear the tissue, to see if the mechanical properties of Gal knockout tissue remain strong and unchanged. We have also made BHVs using both current standard and Gal knockout tissue, and tested them in a laboratory machine that mimics their function in the heart. Both types of BHVs performed similarly in these tests. This current project is to compare how well the Gal knockout tissue works as a BHV in the standard industry animal model. This test is the only way of determining if the valve works well inside of the body and can function to control the normal flow of blood in the heart. Successfully performing this test, which is required by International standards, is a major step forward to making a new BHV, which reduces calcification and be usable in younger patients. Such a new BHV would greatly increase the quality of life for patients. If successful, we hope to advance a new Gal knockout heart valve for a clinical test in man.