Scientists at Queen Mary University of London are developing a new material for creating artificial heart valves as effective as native valves.

Heart valves show an incredibly complex mechanical behaviour to withstand the intense loading conditions they are subjected to when blood flows through the heart and the vascular system. Nature has evolved an intricate hierarchical architecture of the native tissues especially suited to maintain valve function in such harsh environments.

It is extremely difficult to emulate the characteristics of native valves with synthetic tissues, which is why mechanical valves have always been a poor substitute. Patients must take blood-thinning medication for the rest of their lives to prevent clots forming on or around the valve. Meanwhile, biological valves from an animal degrade over 10-20 years – so younger patients need repeated surgery.

Dr Roberto Volpe, Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering at Queen Mary University of London, has invented a new material for creating synthetic tissues. The material is created by bonding tiny pyrolytic carbon particles into a polymer to create composite membranes which can be fine-tuned for rigidity and flexibility – anisotropic properties which mimic natural tissue and are hard to replicate using polymers alone.

To support his work, Dr Volpe founded spin-out company, Syntex, which has just secured a £250k investment to fund ongoing testing and development of the new material.

“Our invention will allow surgeons to give patients synthetic heart valves that free them to live lives indistinguishable from having a healthy heart. This investment will fund the next round of testing and development, putting us on track to become a leader in this field" he said.

The technology could also be used in the wider cardiovascular system and in neurosurgery. Syntex will work with large polymer manufacturers to fine-tune their materials to specific applications, rather than building new polymers from scratch.

5,000 heart valve replacement surgeries take place in Britain each year, and over 100,000 in the United States. Europe is leading the global aortic valve replacement market, which is expected to grow to $9.1bn by 2030.

Dr Roberto Volpe is an experienced entrepreneur, having led a previous start-up through to a successful exit in 2019.