Disclosed herein are devices and methods for repairing a heart defect. The disclosed devices, comprising a biodegradable gel and a biodegradable mesh scaffold, enhance cellular infiltration, vascularization, and degredation, while reducing fibrosis and rejection. In many embodiments, the mesh scaffold comprises one or more of polycaprolactone, gelatin, and polyurethane, and the gel comprises a biologically active compound decorated with polyethylene glycol. The disclosed heart patch devices possess elasticity and strength similar existing patch products derived from mammalian pericardium.

A method for enhancing activity selected from the group consisting of cytokine production capacity, proliferation capacity, engraftment capacity, angiogenesis-inducing capacity, and tissue regeneration capacity in a graft, particularly in a sheet-shaped cell culture containing a somatic cell, involves incubating the graft at a temperature of 25° C. or higher.

One or more embodiments of the present invention are directed to a medical device having a textured surface with an arithmetical mean height value (Sa) below 3.0 μm and a developed interfacial area ratio (Sdr) above 1.0 and a density of peaks (Spd) above 1×10.sup.6 peaks/mm.sup.2; a process of preparing such a medical device using a microstructured template; and a method of treating a mammal with such a medical device.

A medical device is disclosed, which is capable of treating cardiac insufficiency, on a causal therapy basis. The medical device is a heart harness composed of a porous hollow structure. A method of treating a heart disease includes applying the medical device as above to a heart of a subject in need thereof.

Methods are provided to make a prosthetic valve having a thin, biocompatible, high-strength, composite material. In one aspect, the composite material maintains flexibility in high-cycle flexural applications, making it particularly applicable to high-flex implants such as a heart valve leaflet. The composite material includes a porous expanded fluoropolymer membrane and an elastomer, wherein the elastomer is present in the pores of the porous expanded fluoropolymer.

A prosthetic heart valve includes a base and a plurality of polymeric leaflets. Each leaflet has a root portion coupled to the base, and each leaflet has an edge portion substantially opposite the root portion and movable relative to the root portion to coapt with a respective edge portion of at least one of the other leaflets of the plurality of leaflets. Each leaflet includes) at least two polymers along at least one portion of the leaflet, and each leaflet has a composition gradient of each of the at least two polymers along at least one portion of the leaflet.

The present invention provides a connective tissue body formation substrate which can form a film-like connective tissue having a desired thickness and both surfaces in a desired surface condition without prolonging the time required for formation of the connective tissue. Specifically, two tissue formation surfaces 2a and 2b are faced with each other with a tissue formation space 3 being interposed therebetween. A slit 9 is formed in the tissue formation surface 2b so that the tissue formation space 3 communicates with an outside of the substrate. A connective tissue body formation substrate 1 is installed in an environment where a biological tissue material is present. A connective tissue intrudes into the tissue formation space 3 from the slit 9. Both surfaces of the film-like connective tissue are formed so as to match the substrate surface.

An antimicrobial article, a cell culture article, an antithrombotic article, or a biopharmaceutical article that can reduce adhesion of proteins, blood components, cells, or bacteria containing a copolymer that contains a polymerized unit (A) represented by —CH.sub.2—CHOH— and a polymerized unit (B) represented by —CH.sub.2—CX.sub.2—, wherein Xs are the same as or different from each other, and are each an alkyl group having a linear, branched, or cyclic structure, and optionally containing an oxygen atom between carbon atoms, an alkoxy group having a linear, branched, or cyclic structure, and optionally containing a hetero atom between carbon atoms, a siloxy group having a carbon number of 3 or greater, an ester group containing an aromatic ring or an alkyl group and having a linear, branched, or cyclic structure, or H, excluding those in which both Xs are H.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure pertains to a method of fabricating an artificial heart muscle (AHM) patch. In some embodiments, the method includes obtaining and/or isolating cells from a subject. In some embodiments, the cells are primary cardiac cells. In some embodiments, the method further includes forming a scaffold. In some embodiments, the method includes seeding the cells in the fibrin gel scaffold. In some embodiments, the method includes culturing the cells seeded in the fibrin gel scaffold under conditions appropriate for the formation of an artificial heart muscle (AHM) patch. In some embodiments, the present disclosure pertains to a method of fabricating a bioartificial heart (BAH). In some embodiments, the present disclosure pertains to a method of treatment of cardiac tissue injury in a subject in need thereof. In some embodiments, the method includes implanting the aforementioned artificial heart muscle patch in the injured area of the subject. In some embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a method of treating end stage cardiac disease in a subject in need thereof.

The present invention provides: a method for producing mixed cells comprising cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells and mural cells from induced pluripotent stem cells, the method comprising (a) a step of producing cardiomyocytes from induced pluripotent stem cells and (b) a step of culturing the cardiomyocytes in the presence of VEGF; and a therapeutic agent for heart diseases, comprising the mixed cells produced by the method.