Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/L38424/01
Title:	INTEGRATED MULTI DISCIPLINARY APPROACH DEVELOP NEW TYP HEART VALVE SUBSTITUTE PERMANENT CLINICAL IMPLANTATIO
Principal Investigator:	Fisher, Professor J
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:	Aortech Europe Ltd
Department:	Mechanical Engineering
Organisation:	University of Leeds
Scheme:	LINK
Starts:	01 February 1997	Ends:	31 January 2000	Value (£):	173,157
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Biomaterials
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Healthcare
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
Surgery for replacement of diseased heart valves continues for form a considerable part of cardiac surgery practice in the Western World, and a substantially larger role in less developed countries. Two broad groups of valves are used, mechanical valves that require life long anticoagulation therapy and bioprosthetic valves that are less thrombogenic but are less durable particularly in the young. The research for a durable valve that does not require anticoagulation therapy remains and the recent developemnt of biostable biocompatible medical grade polyurethanes has open new opportunities in this area. Three leading UK academic research companies with international reputations in biomaterials, bioengineering and cardiac surgery, have combined with the sole UK mechanical valve manufacture to develop a novel synthetic flexible leaflet heart valve for permenant implantation.The approach involves an integrated programme on in vivo and in vitro experiments to support the design, manufacture and evaluation of synthetic tri-leaflet heart valves utilising novel polyurethanes. Design concepts will be tailored to exploit the characteristics of these new materials, through hydrodynamic function, durability, blood compatability and in vitro calcification studies, and a series of large animal implantation studies. The project aims to deliver at the end of three years, a fully evaluated novel synthetic leaflet heart valve manufacture from a biostablepolymer which does not require anticoagulation therapy, ready for initial clinical trials.
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Organisation Website:	http://www.leeds.ac.uk