Research Projects
Cardiovascular Disease
-
‘Grow your own’ artificial blood vessels in the abdomen for transplants
Clinical problem
Patients who have diseased or damaged blood vessels often require bypass grafts to restore blood flow to affected tissues. These bypass grafts are traditionally arteries or veins transplanted from other parts of the patient’s body, or are synthetic. However, many patients do not have healthy vessels of the right size that can be used as bypass grafts, and synthetic grafts of small diameter tend to become blocked.The study
The ‘grow-your-own artery’ project is developing a device in which an artificial artery is grown in the abdominal (peritoneal) cavity of the patient. There are no rejection problems because the new artery is made from the patient’s own cells.Ultimate aim
Researchers expect this project will lead to creating replacement vessels for patients with damaged blood vessels in the heart, legs or elsewhere in the body. It also has applications for bladder and uterine grafts, reversing vasectomies, and heart valves.
Researchers
Professor Julie Campbell AO, FAA, Director, The Wesley Research Institute
Professor Gordon Campbell
Project partner
The University of Queensland
