| Research
Fixing broken hearts
 Authors
use the concept of a “broken heart” to describe the
symptoms of unrequited love. In the real world, a broken heart can
describe a potentially life threatening medical condition. Clemson
bioengineering professor Naren Vyavahare is uncovering clues about
valve blockage and breakdown that could change the direction of
cardiac health care in the United States.
His
research focuses on two areas: atherosclerosis and porcine bioprosthetics.
Atherosclerosis, a major component of cardiovascular disease, is
a condition in which fatty material is deposited along the walls
of arteries. This fatty material thickens, hardens - or calcifies
- and may eventually block the arteries. Porcine bioprosthetics
describes the common practice of using pig heart valves in humans
to replace diseased valves. These procine valves degrade, causing
abrupt failure within as little as 10 years. This failure rate is
catastrophic since pig valves are used in more than half the replacements
of damaged heart valves in humans.
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Naren Vyavahare joined Clemson
in 1999. “Clemson’s bioengineering department
is known for its strong biomaterials program, and it’s
one of the oldest in the nation,” he says. “Since
my emphasis is on cardiovascular biomaterials, the choice
was obvious for me.” |
Advances
made possible by Vyavahare’s research could pave the way for
the body’s own enzymes’ ability to attack and dissolve
calcified plaque obstructing vessels and arteries. Implanted valves,
treated with new fixatives that he developed, could have extended
functional life.
Some
of Vyavahare’s research has been licensed and is currently
in early trials. His work is funded by $2.3 million in grants from
the National Institutes of Health. Additional funding has come from
the American Heart Association. His collaborators include the chief
of cardiac pathology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a Harvard-affiliated
teaching hospital.
Working on Vyavahare’s research team is a tremendous opportunity
for Clemson students. His team includes fellow professor Dan Simionescu,
who has more than 20 years of heart valve research experience, along
with four Ph.D. students, two M.S. students and two postdoctoral
fellows.
For
more on Clemson bioengineering research, visit the Web at http://www.eng.clemson.edu/bio
and click on “research.”
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